A school, a park or condos? Tension is rising around a residential construction site on the site of a former synagogue in the town of Mount Royal. The mayor justifies his intention to authorize a project of around fifty homes and pleads for better access to housing, but citizens are working to protect the site.
Published at 7:00 a.m.
What you need to know
- A housing project of 50 condos is planned on the site of a former synagogue.
- Residents of Mount Royal are concerned about the precedent this would create.
- The mayor responds that it is the most logical option to revitalize the site.
“We are witnessing a completely disproportionate demolition of heritage,” says the independent councilor of district 2 of the Town of Mount Royal, Maryam Kamali Nezhad, one of the only municipal elected officials to strongly oppose to the project.
For some time now, the developer SAJO has wanted to obtain a zoning change at 1000 Lucerne Road, the land of a former synagogue, in order to build around fifty residential units on four or five floors. However, many citizens are campaigning for the construction of a school or the development of a community park.
IMAGE FROM 1000LUCERNEVMR.CA
Report of the project carried out by the promoter
Information sessions, petitions and public debates have already taken place, but no green light has yet been given. This could be done on Tuesday, January 21, during a municipal council meeting, when a vote of councilors is planned to authorize a change of land use.
If this passes, the Montreal agglomeration council will have 120 days to validate the decision, after which the developer will have to present a clearer development plan which will be the subject of a public consultation, promises the City.
An “important precedent”?
According to Alain Lefebvre, a citizen who lives very close to the planned site, moving forward “would open the door to high density and multi-storey” in several other locations in Mount Royal.
“It will set an important precedent. And what worries us is that there is no guarantee that the project will not then change shape to be much higher. We have no problem with a residential project, but offer us something with two floors, which fits into the neighborhood,” says Mr. Lefebvre.
Resident Katy, who refuses to reveal her last name for fear of professional reprisals, agrees.
We have the impression that the administration in place favors the developer’s profit to the detriment of the will, well-being and peace of mind of residents. We’ve been talking to the mayor for years, but we’re not being listened to. They override the clearly expressed wishes of residents. It’s really double standards.
Katy, resident of Mont-Royal
Having lived in the town of Mont-Royal for several years, Françoise Le Gris is also of this opinion. “After 1000, Lucerne, there is the Saint-Peters church, which SAJO also owns, which risks suffering the same fate, even though these are the only two institutional zones that we have left,” she maintains.
“It’s not just the neighbors who are dissatisfied, it’s a generalized opinion throughout the municipality,” adds M.me Le Gris, who deplores sometimes having the impression that “the democratic process simply does not exist in Mount Royal.”
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
The project website
A case of “not in my backyard”, denounces the mayor
For his part, Mayor Peter Malouf denounces a new case of “not in my backyard”. “There are residents who imagine that we are going to build 20-story towers, but that is absolutely not the plan. The housing will not exceed the existing height of the synagogue which is there now,” he insists.
“We have a strong demand for young families who want to return to Ville Mont-Royal. We must address this accessibility problem,” adds Mr. Malouf, who recalls that the project will come with a 12,000 square foot park for the use of future residents.
Keeping the place zoned institutional, “that would mean buying the site from the developer,” adds the mayor. It would cost taxpayers a fortune.”
All other uses proposed by citizens would go nowhere, says Peter Malouf. “We already have around forty parks, and we know that the number of school enrollments is decreasing in our territory. Even the Marguerite-Bourgeoys school service center told us that it no longer wants a school here. On the religious institutions side either, there is no clear demand,” says the elected official.
“In the area, it will improve the value of all the houses. And the synagogue has been abandoned for almost seven years,” he says.
On the project’s website, developer SAJO states that its project will create homes that will serve both “first-time buyers” and “people whose children have left the nest”, but who wish to stay in the town of Mont- Royal by reducing the size of their property.
