A walk along the ravine in Old Glenora has become a controversial activity for residents, as the city moves to build a sidewalk on their lawns adjacent to the street.

The city is in the midst of neighbourhood renewal in the area. The plan includes straightening out roads at curvy intersections and installing sidewalks.

But some residents don't want the sidewalks on their lawns. They prefer to see the sidewalk installed on the other side of the street, where most people already walk.

Sometimes people like to intervene and meddle, and I'm afraid the meddlers have the upper hand at this stage. - Gordon Arnett

"Sometimes people like to intervene and meddle, and I'm afraid the meddlers have the upper hand at this stage," said Gordon Arnett, a 40-year resident of the neighbourhood.

Ravine Drive is a picturesque area, with landscaping that stretches to the curb on the north side of the street, and an open green space at the top of the river valley ravine.

The south side of the street is dotted with park benches, and features a staircase down to river valley paths. Arnett said he doesn't understand why the city would prefer to put the sidewalks on residents' lawns on the north side of the street, instead of where most pedestrians are already walking on the other side.

"It's so blatantly obvious," he said. "Council is not smart enough to watch and duplicate what people are already doing."

Sidewalk construction has already begun in some parts of Old Glenora. It is expected to be complete by October. (Laura Osman/ CBC News) Jeff Ward, director of neighbourhood renewal for the city, said sidewalks are necessary so all pedestrians, regardless of ability, have a safe way of getting around.

"The sidewalk is a safe and accessible place for people to walk," he said.

He said the city did investigate the possibility of installing a shared-use path on the south side of the street after hearing opposition from the residents. But there was "additional opposition" to that concept as well.

While Ward cited safety as an argument, Arnett said there's never been a safety issue in the decades he's lived in the area.

"I've never seen an accident here," he said. "It's tough to get safer than zero."

He argued the sidewalks may even make the neighbourhood less safe for pedestrians, forcing them to cross the road to reach the ravine.

'It's just going to really make it a mess'

Other neighbours are concerned about their lawns and landscaping. Alexis Baptista didn't realize the city owns a strip of her land closest to the road, at least until the sidewalk proposal was put forward.

Her garden and irrigation system extends all the way to the curb. She's worried what it will cost to repair the damage after construction is complete.

"It's just going to really make it a mess," she predicted.

Baptista said she and her neighbours don't feel the city is listening to their concerns.

"We were all opposing it, and they still didn't think about what we thought about it, what we wanted," she said.

Construction is already underway in some parts of the neighbourhood. It is expected to be completed by October.