At the end of a stormy public meeting devoted to the development of the Jardin des maraîchers eco-district, the city’s mayor, François Rebsamen, announced the holding of a referendum open to residents to decide on the future of the Dijon site and its emblematic Lentillères free district.
Spectacular turn of events ! At the end of a stormy public meeting, which was held on the evening of Wednesday June 19, in the Flora room of the Dukes’ palace, François Rebsamen launched the idea of a local referendum to decide on the future. and the development (or not) of the Jardin des maraîchers eco-district, which includes the famous Lentillères free district. “ I am a politician and I make decisions. We are going to organize a referendum so that the inhabitants of this district can decide on the developments that will be carried out. We will respect their opinion », he said after an hour and a half of a very lively meeting.
This district, located between the Boulevard de Chicago and the Parc de la Colombière, constitutes one of the hot potatoes of Dijon life: on 9 hectares, between the Capitaine Guynemer mall, the rue Amiral Pierre and the rue Philippe Guignard, established the Lentillères free district, where a few dozen people demanding an alternative life farm and live. They have fiercely opposed attempts to develop or “concrete” the town hall for 14 years now.
For its part, the municipality has been holding discussions with them for two years and has, in the words of François Rebsamen, already made many adjustments to its urbanization project. Wednesday’s public meeting was, in fact, devoted to the presentation of this project… Which, ultimately, will remain a dead letter for the moment.
Maintaining a good part of the market gardening and 60 to 80 housing units
The mayor of Dijon arrived with a project for an “agricultural park”, which maintained a good part of the 9 hectares of market gardening, but urbanized a strip of 1.14 hectares along the Capitaine Guynemer mall. “ We want to build between 60 and 80 housing units, of two floors maximum, on this location, which is polluted and which currently houses a BMX track. », explains François Rebsamen. “ We leave the agricultural land that we propose to transform into an agricultural park, open to urban market gardening, but also to residents, in particular to school students who could come and discover what market gardening is. », he continues.
In the room, with entrances filtered by the police and where many Lentillères activists were unable to enter, the project leaves the residents doubtful. Above all, most of the speakers demonstrate an attachment to the activities of the free neighborhood, and a need for developments that go well beyond just housing.
A doctor, who has lived on this site for two years, said:disappointed» of municipal action. “I appreciate the free Lentillères neighborhood which I cross every day from the faculties, and where I recharge my batteries. Conversely, circulation is very difficult between the neighborhood and the city center for those traveling by bike. Rue de Longvic is a disaster in this regard. And if the neighborhood is pleasant to live in, there are no facilities for children, except the BMX track that you decry, but which has the merit of existing . »
“I’m looking for where you can find the term eco for your eco-neighborhood”
Same story with Maud, another resident of the neighborhood. “I’m looking for where you can find the eco qualifier for your eco-neighborhood. Market garden,” she says to the mayor. “I travel by bike every day, I almost get knocked down every day. The bus which took you to the station was moved to the Parc de la Colombière. Often going to Paris by train, I now have to reach the station by car. And it’s a neighborhood where it’s very hot, due to poorly insulated housing. It is absurd to remove a green island of freshness, especially since the social work carried out in the free neighborhood is remarkable. »
The tone of public interventions hardly varies from one person to another. A man is worried about the potential drop in value of his house, located on Boulevard Robert Schuman. “The neighborhood has not improved in recent years“, he blurted.
François Rebsamen, on the defensive, scraps. To a woman who is happy to be able to buy her vegetables at a low price, but who complains about the heat, he says: “If you can’t stand the city, you have to live in the countryside.» And faced with the blockage of discussions, he decided to adjourn the meeting and call for a local referendum open to residents. The terms of this remain, as one suspects, completely vague, but should be clarified quickly.
