We write as the residents of Young Avenue – the people who actually live here, who wake up on this street every morning, who sweep its pavements, plant its gardens, and who are working tirelessly to remedy the situation at the abandoned Department of Public Works properties that have become the subject of Daily Maverick's recent coverage (click here to view).
We appreciated the attention brought to the state’s failure at 17 and 35 Young Avenue. That story needed telling, and we are glad it was. But we write because both pieces left us with a profound sense that the fuller, truer, more human story of this street was not told – and we believe it is a story worth telling.
17 Young Avenue (Google Street View)
Young Avenue is not a street in decline. It is a street of strong community that is actively confronting its challenges – and that is a very different thing. Yes, there are problem properties: numbers 9 and 30, whose owners are not complying with municipal bylaws and whose conduct we have repeatedly reported to the relevant authorities. The overwhelming majority of homes on this street, however, are beautiful, lovingly maintained, many of them heritage properties that residents have poured their hearts and savings into restoring over the past decade.
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