The developer Mondev will finally be able to demolish the building facing Place Émilie-Gamelin to build a 16-story residential tower, despite the fact that the final tenant of the premises refuses to leave. Montreal has in fact just issued a demolition permit.
In the office of Mayor Valérie Plante, it is indicated that Mondev “demonstrated that several relocation options were offered to the tenant” and that “consequently, the permit was issued”.
“We still hope that there will be an agreement between the tenant and the developer and that the project can move forward by revitalizing the sector,” maintains the press officer, Catherine Cadotte.
Mondev wants to build a 16-storey residential tower with 176 housing units at the corner of Saint-Hubert and Sainte-Catherine streets, in front of Place Émilie-Gamelin. The buildings there, including that of the former Da Giovanni restaurant, are slated for demolition to make way for a real estate project. The sector has been in the news for months due to the social crisis there.
For months, however, the developer has been facing a major problem: a tenant, Carla White, who lives in a modest apartment in a building slated for demolition, stubbornly refuses to leave. She has already refused a check for $20,000 as well as a nicer apartment for only $400 a month, according to the company, which said it was at the end of its resources.
“She doesn’t want to know anything. We’ve been talking to him for years. She wants a penthouse with a view of downtown, a view to the west. A large terrace. These are, in our opinion, completely unreasonable requests,” Mondev co-director Michael Owen expressed regarding the tenant last June. It was not possible to reach Mr. Owen on this subject Wednesday evening.
Three months to move
Me Manuel Johnson, the lawyer representing Carla White’s interests, argued from the start that his client simply wanted to obtain long-term residential stability and that his client’s position was being exaggerated by Mondev.
“She is still interested in having accommodation,” argued M.e Johnson. Now the $20,000 offer is a no. This is not enough to give him housing stability for more than a year or a year and a half. She will put the $20,000 in the pockets of another owner. The housing available now in Montreal is $1000, $1500. »
According to the daily The duty, which first reported the news on Wednesday, the demolition permit was officially issued on March 27. Mme White was then ordered by a bailiff to vacate his home by June 30.
The tenant, who should receive the equivalent of three months’ rent as well as compensation to reimburse the costs linked to her future move, however intends to present her arguments at the next Ville-Marie district council meeting, scheduled for 9 april. His lawyer also reportedly intends to contest the decision, although the nature of potential appeals remains unknown.
In principle, the demolition of the building should begin at the turn of next fall. The new building should then take three years to emerge from the ground, once construction has started.
With Philippe Teisceira-Lessard, La Presse