So the latest I’m hearing from people who have e-mailed is that sales people for Summerhill, Lincolnberg, Avi, et cetera are still misleading potential buyers.
They are telling them that disturbance from the train is minimal. They have also mentioned that the developer Dundee has a deal with CN Rail where the whistling might stop because they’ve made a deal to subsidize a new control arm. I hope that’s true but I’m doubtful. I’ll do some doublechecking. If anyone actually contacts CN and finds out if this is true let me know.
I’m a new home owner residing in Tamarack and I must say that I find this petition rather comical as my wife and I are not affected whatsoever by the “noise of the trains”. We purchased our home through Homes by Avi and we were told immediately that the train would create disturbances. So like any smart potential home buyer, we actually researched the noise/disturbances that Homes by Avi informed us of. Perhaps those who are being affected by the trains didn’t do “their homework” before rushing into purchasing their new home! Let’s be realistic here, you didn’t do your research like any sensible person should have done and now you’re looking to place blame for your mistake elsewhere! Take responsibility!!! By the way, my wife and I find the “disturbances” soothing and peaceful. I will be forwarding this reply to all those who you’ve involved! Good luck partner in your quest!
Sincerely,
More than satisfied home owner in Tamarack!
I’m glad you’ve had better luck than we have.
I am assuming things don’t fall off the shelves of your house and that you are not woken in the middle of the night by the shaking from the train. I assume you’re not living right near the track.
I also assume you purchased your house after the subdivision was built and were actually able to ‘do the research’ by driving around and seeing how close you would be to the train.
We could not do that as there was no subdivision to drive into. I’m not entirely sure how much more research we could have done. Yes, we were stupid for believing Summerhill homes when they told us the train line was being discontinued but we did contact the various rail lines to try and find out who owned the tracks and their status. Their replies were months late in coming.
I am curious what research you did, so that potential home owners could follow the steps that worked so well for you? What kinds of homework would you suggest — obviously knowing how close your home is to the tracks is a good idea. Knowing that there have been several past petitions against train noise in this area of the city in the past (we didn’t find that out until later) would probably be a good idea. Knowing that the subdivision is built on marsh land and that may not have been adequately accounted for by engineering surveys in regards to noise/shaking (and long-term life and health of the houses), is probably also good research to find out. Anything else?
Regardless, I’m more concerned about making people understand that they should do the research before moving to Tamarack and to make sure they will be as satisfied as you seem to be.
- Brent
Also, you have been lucky. Here are some recent quotes from the petition:
“The noise of the train is unbearable at times. At the time of purchasing our house, we were told that the train went through about 4-5 times a day…and the last one was early evening. Our bed shakes when the trains go by, the cupboards vibrate…I can’t imagine what it is doing to the foundation???”
“During the past 6 months, it has become apparent that the train is more frequent/noisy than what I was lead to believe at signing! Whether it be day or night….the trains are unacceptable and something needs to be done!”
“with the train our house is shaking like it would be an earthquake “
i just wanted to say that i completely agree with jeff, and also that earlier replies i tried to make where screened and never made it onto the blog. which i find too bad, but 2 thumbs up to jeff. i am also a homeowner in tamarack, and can agree with the “comical” statement of jeff.
Joost – yet neither of you have explained how you did your ‘research’ and managed to avoid getting a house that shakes from the train. I’m sure potential home owners would love to know how you managed that.
Or maybe you just lucked out? And if you hadn’t, you’d be signing the petition and agreeing with us?
Obviously no train would be better than having a train right beside your community. I would probably not enjoy having my house shake by the trains either. When we bought in Tamarack we chose to build as far away from the Tracks that we could. I understand that you could not have known how close you would have been. You probably didn’t even know that there was a train. For this I hope that they can do something for you and everyone else that lives in Tamarack who this is bothering. As for myself, I am not all that disturbed by the trains; but would be happy if they weren’t noticeable at all. Don’t forget to look on the positive side as I believe there are a lot of great attributes to Tamarack and I enjoy living here. I hope something can be done for you and everyone else the train has disturbed. For everyone else; don’t let this be the only reason you choose to not buy in Tamarack. Do you research, it’s not that bad for everyone!