Project in the Point may be walled in by condos
Activists in Point St Charles worked hard to turn an old industrial building into a benefice for the community, including a nonprofit grocery and places for kids to play, with plans for a daycare and a birthing centre, but the owner of the land, which till not long ago was an industrial site, plans to wall it in tightly with new condo buildings so that vehicles can’t even get close. They’re appealing to the mayor.
LJ 09:37 on 2019-05-23 Permalink
What a pity…its a beautiful space run by dedicated people who (exactly as Kate said) worked hard to get it up and running. My band plays there often (including tonight) and without easy road access moving equipment in and out will not be much fun,. Being walled in by condos will also ruin the atmosphere there, right now the building is surrounded by open space with a nice terrace.
walkerp 10:21 on 2019-05-23 Permalink
Fucking developers. So gross. It’s still a miracle that they were able to take over that space and turn it into something that benefits the community.
You know, this blog is filled with stories of developers doing shitty things. What I would like to start seeing is their actual names reported. I bet there is a pattern. I know a lot of the empty storefronts in Mile End are due to a single large developer whose name I forget. They need to be exposed to the light.
Mr.Chinaski 11:01 on 2019-05-23 Permalink
The entire south portion of PSC is in a major transformation and gentrification period. Everything is transformed into condos and prices have doubled easily in the past decade. It’s going to accelerate even more once there is a stadium nearby and the obvious REM station.
david100 13:34 on 2019-05-23 Permalink
Before people go bananas on how the evil developer plans to cover the parking lots with sorely needed housing, it’s worth considering that: En 2017, le Groupe Mach, propriétaire du terrain, a accepté de céder l’immeuble aux citoyens en plus de leur faire un don d’un million de dollars pour le projet. To me, this is win-win. Only thing needed (which could be coming) Is a covenant in the nee construction barring HOA actions for against Building 7 tenants for noise, use violations, etc.
david100 13:36 on 2019-05-23 Permalink
Also – walker, if your theory is that more people in a neighborhood makes commerce less viable, I think you should leave the theorizing to someone else.
Martin 14:19 on 2019-05-23 Permalink
Reading this article, I can’t seem to find anything objectionable about the condo project. The promoter already gave the Bâtiment 7 to the collectif, plus one million dollars for their project, and also changed the plan of its project to allow for a greater distance between the condos (which are only 3-storeys high) and the Bâtiment 7, and the city bought a section of the lot to allow for a passageway to the CPE. What more could they do? I’m sorry but I can’t take these people seriously when I read stuff like that: « Le collectif travaille aussi sur un projet pour ramener les chevaux en ville pour la livraison du pain. » They should concentrate their efforts to have a decent number of these condos affordable for the families.
walkerp 14:49 on 2019-05-23 Permalink
david100 but why do you hate freedom?
(since we are now just making shit up about what other people said in their post.)
To be specific, it’s not a question of being against more housing, it is the kind of housing and as usual this will most likely be box like condos that take up as much space as possible, as cheaply built as possible and sold in a price point to drive out economic (and thus cultural and racial) diversity. This is especially poignant in a neighbourhood like Pt St-Charles which pioneered many of the community projects and initiatives among the working class that contributed to some of Montreal and Canada’s strong (though weakening more and more) social system.
I don’t know the details of how that space was ceded, but it was a fight. The developers did not just hand over that building out of the kindness of their hearts.
walkerp 12:30 on 2019-05-24 Permalink
Wow, I hadn’t fully realized what the developers intend to do. The article did indeed make it seem not that bad, but I didn’t realize they are planning to build directly in front of the building, between it and the actual street. It’s insane. If you ever spent one evening at Batiment 7 and thought it was okay to put a condo development in between it and the road, then you have no soul or empathy. These developers are not part of the community and they are clearly not interested in investing in it in any way other than that which gives them the greatest return on the dollar.
I know these problems are systemic (same with the media), but at some point as an individual, you have to take a look at the situation from a human perspective and just say no, we can make enough money without destroying what makes this place special. There are so many other ways to add housing and bring people to help a neighbourhood and community grow. Just doing their job, just maximizing profit. It was never a good excuse and even less so now, which is why I will continue to call them out for being evil.