Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante says she is ready to review a controversial by-law that prohibits residents for the first time in 50 years from parking any car in their driveway after converting their garage into a living room.
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“It is clear that a reflection on the regulation is necessary so that it better reflects today’s needs, in particular concerning the owners of electric vehicles who must park near their charging station”, added confirmed to our representative, Mayor Plante’s office.
Photo QMI Agency, Joël Lemay
Valerie Plante
The newspaper revealed on Monday that 11 owners of Place de Boucherville street, in the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve (MHM), lost their right to park in their front yard overnight.
A notice of non-compliance from the authorities was sent to them to this effect for the first time last August. Before that, residents met on site explained that they had never had a problem parking their vehicle in their driveway for more than half a century.
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Ignored by the mayor
Martine Corbeil and her neighbors have also tried several times to discuss with the mayor of MHM, Pierre Lessard-Blais, but their requests would never have been successful.
“We are grateful to Mayor Valérie Plante for taking the trouble to consider our situation and for showing openness, unlike the MHM borough, which has ignored all our arguments from the start,” reacted Ms.me Trash.
PHOTO MARTIN ALARIE
Martine Corbeil
The latter has parked vehicles in her front yard without a problem for nearly 30 years. She now has an electric car, like many of her neighbours, which must be recharged in her driveway using a terminal installed on her home.
“The world is modernizing, the regulations must adapt, insists Martine Corbeil. It would be logical, given the particular configuration of our street, that everyone could benefit from an exemption from the regulations.
The newspaper tried to obtain an interview on this subject Thursday with the mayor Pierre Lessard-Blais, but our request was refused. Mr. Lessard-Blais was also not available on Monday and Tuesday to answer our questions.
“Each case is carefully assessed and the inspectors are called upon to show flexibility in the application of the regulations, assures the office of the mayor. In this specific case, the regulation was applied following a citizen complaint concerning work carried out without a permit.
Screenshot of Google Maps
Aerial view of Place de Boucherville street.
An old forgotten rule
Note that the notices of non-compliance were sent to the 11 owners of Place de Boucherville under by-law 01-275 of the city of Montreal. This ban outright parking in front of residences since October 31, 1974.
The only exception is homes that have a driveway leading to a garage. The catch is that these residents have mostly converted their garages into living space to expand their homes. Result? Their parking space automatically becomes prohibited.
Image provided by Martine Corbeil
City letter.
“Some of these developments were carried out illegally without a permit, others with a permit which had the collateral effect of removing the parking space. This type of intervention means that the old access roads leading to the garage are non-compliant, ”says Julie Bellemare, MHM research officer, in an email.
Julien Hénault-Ratelle, city councilor for the Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough, told our representative that these 11 cases could set a serious precedent.
Indeed, according to him, hundreds of residences in Montreal have illegal parking lots like those at Place de Boucherville.
What is the famous regulation 01-275?
- Regulations prohibiting parking in front of homes
- Exception: only residences with a driveway leading to a functional garage can have parking in front
- Valid since October 31, 1974 and introduced by Mayor Jean Drapeau
- If the parking lot was present before October 31, 1974, it is an acquired right
Source: City of Montreal