No new condos in Chinatown: petition
A petition is circulating asking for no new construction projects in Chinatown, which is already tiny and could be changed forever by one or two big condo buildings.
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Jack 12:02 on 2019-02-28 Permalink
I live in chinatown and I completely understand this petition.The condo tower going up on Viger and St. Laurent will change the surroundings and skyscape forever. What I would like to do is thank this blog contributors for schooling me, because correct me if I am wrong. If a developer buys land that was originally a movie theatre and decides to build a tower 10 stories higher than everything in its vicinity, in an historic part of Montreal, their is nothing that can be done… except sign a petition. Any veterans of Milton Park still alive, because that seems the only time a neighbourhood erasure was stopped, how did you do it?
Tee Owe 12:39 on 2019-02-28 Permalink
I wrote here about how my eviction notice was thrown out of court – I was just a student renter not exactly a local, I did some street action but I was on the fringes, busy with my degree – looking back on it I would guess that Concordia Estates (the bad guys) weren’t prepared for the coordinated opposition and they basically folded – I would guess they wouldn’t fold so easily today. But for sure, contesting the eviction notices was coordinated, and the courts were on the tenant’s side. Maybe someone else can add more informed response.
DeWolf 13:16 on 2019-02-28 Permalink
I think it’s a bit late for a petition given that the Serenity hotel/apartment project is already approved and well under construction. I doubt there are any legal means to stop work at this point. And of course, that would leave Chinatown with a hole in the ground for many years to come.
It’s a different story for the proposed project on the other side of St-Laurent, where the Robillard building burned down. It hasn’t been approved yet so I assume a moratorium could prevent it from being built, but that would probably trigger a lawsuit from the developer.
What Chinatown need is a master plan that can help guide growth and development. There are so many vacant lots and empty properties, if there’s no firm guidance, it will eventually be gentrified out of existence.
One thing that always mystifies me is how people could get up in arms about a “massive” 13-storey building when Chinatown is already surrounded by skyscrapers on all sides. It’s not the Plateau. The issue shouldn’t be high-rises, it should be what’s in the high-rises. Surely it would be a good thing if there was a 20-storey tower with social housing and apartments for Chinese old folks, right? Focusing on the height would get us into a situation like San Francisco where the cityscape is seen as being so precious, hardly anything gets built and the city is wickedly unaffordable.
Another thing: I wonder how most Chinatown residents and merchants feel about May Chiu’s group speaking on their behalf. If there’s anything I learned from my brief exposure to Chinatown politics a few years ago, it’s a very fragmented place and a lot of people would be very sceptical of a self-appointed group of “Chinois progressiste.”