The Quebec Ministry of the Environment is delaying giving the green light to the development of a public square and green spaces expected for years on the site of the former Canadian National workshops, in the heart of the Pointe-Saint-Charles district. , where residents are getting impatient, noted The duty.
At the heart of the problem is the state of contamination of the land where parks and public spaces have been planned for years, in a former industrial sector now coveted by real estate developers. In 2021, a public consultation was carried out by the Sud-Ouest borough to determine the facilities destined to see the light of day on the land transferred to it by Les Cours Pointe-Saint-Charles Inc. to create green spaces.
The following year, decontamination work was completed on this site. The South-West district subsequently noted, in the context of work to create a “blue-green” alley aimed at facilitating the ecological management of rainwater around Building 7, that “the quality of the soil was slightly lower than that required by the Ministry of the Environment”, indicates to the Duty communications officer Anyck Paradis.
The borough has since been waiting to obtain authorization from the ministry in order to be able to carry out development work on this large plot of land without having to decontaminate it further. “Note that they pose no risk to the health of the population, fauna and flora,” adds Mme Heaven.
The expected work aims in particular to create a public square, community gardens as well as children’s play areas and rest areas where benches will be installed. Ultimately, area residents will be able to go to this site to watch outdoor films or attend musical performances, hope community stakeholders in Pointe-Saint-Charles. However, for the moment, “no intervention can be made on the site before approval from the ministry”, confirms Mme Paradise, in the South-West district.
An “unwelcoming” site
Residents may therefore have to wait a few more years before a public square is created next to Building 7, which since 2018 has hosted numerous community premises offering various workshops self-managed by their members and which are offered on a regular basis. “I don’t understand why it’s taking so long,” sighs a committed citizen of Pointe-Saint-Charles, Natacha Alexandroff, who is firmly waiting for these green spaces to materialize.
The traffic of Building 7, which also includes a local grocery store and a microbrewery, is already experiencing delays in the development of a public square which will ultimately provide a warmer welcome to residents and visitors wishing to benefit from the services. services offered in this extraordinary community space.
“It’s a site that is not very welcoming at the moment,” notes the project manager for the development of the exterior amenities of Building 7, Véronique Houle. In this context, “it’s certain that people are impatient, they can’t wait to see that,” continues Mme Swell, in reference to these future green and leisure spaces.
“We are in an area where there are not many green spaces, so the need is very great,” also notes Judith Cayer, one of the founders of the citizen movement which gave birth to Building 7, currently surrounded by “ wasteland, wasteland, with rocks and piles of earth. “It’s a bit sad,” she sighs.
The borough indicates for its part that it is unable to provide new dates to its citizens, when the approximately 7,400 meters of parks will be developed in this sector. “The timetable remains to be clarified once approval from the Ministry has been obtained,” indicates communications officer Anyck Paradis.
“We understand that the delays in developing green spaces cause inconvenience to local residents,” continues M.me Paradis, who assures that the district is doing “everything in its power to ensure the quality and sustainability of the planned developments”.
Joined by The duty, the Ministry of the Environment assures that the processing of “the request for modification of the land rehabilitation plan is in progress”. Quebec therefore intends to be able to issue its authorization “soon” in this regard, thus allowing this public square project to take shape, years after the approval of the first rehabilitation plan for this site by the ministry, in 2015.
Social housing in 2024
The Mach Group, a real estate developer, is extending certain streets in anticipation of the completion of a real estate project of 925 housing units, including 215 social and affordable housing units which will all be delivered by September 2024. The first phases of the private component of the project should begin next spring, indicates to the Duty Pierre-Jacques Lefaivre, first vice-president of the Mach Group.
However, “it is certain that if we expect 900 new households, that creates strong pressure to have quality, friendly green spaces. These people need to arrive in a neighborhood that is ready to welcome them,” notes Judith Cayer. The resident hopes that this real estate project will help accelerate the creation of the green spaces planned in an area which currently represents a “large heat island”.