The housing crisis hardly moves some citizens of Pierrefonds who have managed to block the addition of 111 housing units right next to the Sunnybrooke REM station in a devitalized sector of Gouin Boulevard.
“The project has been completely abandoned,” said Maxime Laporte, Vice-President Real Estate Development at Quorum, visibly disappointed. Something we propose that is in perfect harmony with the PMAD [Plan métropolitain d’aménagement et de développement]densification, TOD areas [pôle de transport collectif], diversity and who is told no. This is a fairly striking example of the “not in my backyard” phenomenon, deplores the promoter.
The lot next to the station will thus continue to be occupied by an old garage and a small unoccupied industrial building.
ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED BY QUORUM
The 111 housing project
“If there is a PMAD and cities that promote [la densité aux abords des gares de train], why does it fall to a private promoter, for a completely obsolete garage, to go and fight for two years to propose what the government, the PMAD and all the organizations are proposing? he asks himself, discouraged.
The failure above all casts doubt on the ability of the municipal authorities on the island of Montreal to authorize housing projects which society urgently needs, according to a broker who specializes in the sale of residential land.
“For a client, I looked at land in the same neighborhood to build 200 housing units. When he saw that the Quorum project was jumping at the last minute after two years of effort and expense, my client preferred to look in Laval and on the South Shore. Montreal, for him, is too many problems, testifies Daniel Losier, broker at Century 21.
However, the borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro supported the six-storey project by promoter Quorum, in vain.
People don’t want density close to home. Forget that. It’s not just in Pierrefonds, it’s the same everywhere. People just don’t want it.
Stéphane Quesnel, Head of Urban Planning, Permits and Inspection Division, Borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro
The official speaks knowingly. For 10 years, according to him, three-quarters of the projects that require zoning changes (through a PPCMOI – specific projects for the construction, modification or occupation of a building) have been blocked by the citizens of Pierrefonds-Roxboro. “It’s a general problem in many municipalities,” he notes.
In response to the high rejection rate, the borough changed its procedure to consult the population upstream even before the adoption of the project by the council’s elected officials. This is the new procedure that was followed in the case of the project at 9720-9730 boulevard Gouin Ouest, at the intersection of boulevard Gouin Ouest and boulevard Sunnybrooke.
“With a direct mail campaign, we reached 605 households who had access to the documentation relating to the project grouped into 4 themes detailed by 17 questions and open to comments from citizens for 30 days, explains Mr. Quesnel.
“In general, 75% of the population, it’s not pranks, found the project very good or good, underlines the head of division. We had a good bond. »
On the strength of this support, the council ratified a first draft by-law in August 2022, then a second, the following month. The public consultation, which follows, attracts a handful of citizens, another encouraging sign.
The day of the registry arrives. To everyone’s surprise, 26 citizens signed the register requesting the holding of a referendum on the zoning change, a sufficient number to force the holding of a vote. The Council takes note of the results and stops the process of adopting the project.
“I don’t know of any council that is going to a referendum on a PPCMOI. It’s the same cost as a general election,” explains Mr. Quesnel.
Why are citizens opposed to the project? “Another quick money pass by Pierrefonds, which is trying to maximize everything in a small space, wrote citizen Suzanna Peterson on the borough’s collaborative platform.
“Six stories is way too high; two floors at most. Absolutely no privacy for owners on Andras Street [face au projet de l’autre côté de la voie ferrée] ! We don’t need more than 111 cars,” she wrote.
Mr. Quesnel draws the lesson that cities are ill-equipped to translate government guidelines on density into reality because of the referendum approval process. He bases hope on the law 16 in force since July 2 which comes to restrict this power.
While waiting to know its concrete effects, motorists in Pierrefonds will still be able to enter their car in the garage at the Sunnybrooke REM station.