New condo in the Vieux starts worries for heritage
The city has approved the construction of a 13-storey residential building on St-Paul Street, its 43 meters (13 storeys) being twice as high as normally accepted in that sector. Two heritage groups are worried about the effect such a project will have in what’s officially a protected area, and that it will create a precedent for more development there.
DeWolf 11:46 on 2019-09-11 Permalink
It’s worth noting that this proposed building is roughly the same height as the two adjacent buildings, which are each 10 storeys, but with double-height ground floors. I get that heritage groups are worried this could serve as a precedent for developers to build larger buildings in Old Montreal, but I don’t like the attitude that treats the neighbourhood as some kind of jewel box. After all, we’re talking about replacing the many small parking lots that pockmark the area, not tearing down the existing built fabric.
Kate 12:55 on 2019-09-11 Permalink
Yes, in the second photo in the article you can see the older, tall buildings next to the lot. It’s just east of McGill Street so it’s not deep in the heart of the Vieux, either. I think it probably is mostly the precedent that worries the heritage folks, because I don’t think the city has made a mistake here either.
thomas 15:04 on 2019-09-11 Permalink
I would worry less about the height and more that the design will be some anodyne glass/prefab building.