Rockcliffe Park fountain fight a wellspring of cascading complaints

In one of the city's most exclusive neighbourhoods, the lawn of a Lakeway Drive home has been a construction site for more than three years.

That has become a major complaint for some neighbours and an escalating dispute where, at one point, police were called.

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The homeowner, who declined an interview with CTV News, recently sent out an email to hundreds of people on community association lists, asking area resident for understanding, as the pandemic played a major role in the delay.

At the centre of the dispute is a new front-yard water fountain.

"What we have planned through a licensed landscape architect is a low, quiet water feature, set back 3-4 metres from the roadway, surrounded by attractive greenery and softscaping," says the homeowner's email. "We aim to present something appealing to the neighborhood. We would like to encourage traffic to slow down to make your walks and cycling trips with your children safer to add to the neighbourhood for all to enjoy. We also hope to help the city achieve the traffic calming the desired when altering the shape of Lakeway into Blenhiem some 20 years ago."

But there are some neighbours who say the water feature encroached on to city-owned land, and that the design is unacceptable.

"This property has been a flashpoint," says Rideau-Rockcliffe Coun. Rawlson King. "We've heard complaints from residents and we've forwarded those complaints to bylaw enforcement services … It's important that people follow the rules; they are there for a purpose; they are there to ensure a greater quality of life and also safety in the community."

While speaking to residents in this quiet Rockcliffe neighbourhood, there were those who liked the design of the fountain, as well as those who did not, but no one was willing to provide an interview.

However, some people did respond to the homeowner's email with a variety of complaints, ranging from the new fence, to removed hedges, and even blocked views, to which the homeowner responded, defending the renovations.

King says the issue is now in the hands of city inspectors to investigate, and if bylaws have been broken, it could mean the fountain's removal, as well as potential fines and penalties.