Un promoteur immobilier continue ses travaux de transformation de l’ancien golf de La Prairie en quartier résidentiel, cette semaine, malgré l’ordre d’arrêter le chantier lancé par l’hôtel de ville.
Publié à 7h00
L’entreprise La Prairie sur le parc inc. ne reconnaît pas la validité des décisions de la municipalité et accumule les constats d’infraction, au grand dam du maire Frédéric Galantai. Les ouvriers continuent à s’activer sur le terrain, comme le montrent les images captées par La Presse.
« Les avis de non-conformité ont été émis, donc oui, les travaux devraient cesser jusqu’à ce que le promoteur dépose une [nouvelle] compliant license application, argued Mr. Galantai on Tuesday in a telephone interview. “Every day that we find that the promoter is in violation, every day we will issue statements of offense. Each statement is accompanied by a fine of $500.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
View of the former La Prairie golf course, which will be transformed into a residential area
At the heart of the problem: the real estate developers – who want to build some 2,200 houses there – would have cut down “much more” than the 203 trees provided for in the municipal permit, according to La Prairie. Hence the decision, announced last week by La Prairie, to withdraw this authorization. “I am outraged to see that there are excess tree cuts on the site,” denounced Mayor Frédéric Galantai.
“Lying and defamatory” arguments, says the promoter
Stéphane Gariépy is the head of La Prairie sur le parc inc. Last week, he confirmed that it was possible that too many trees had been felled on the ground, in particular to allow machinery used to fill in the basins that adorned the golf course to pass.
On Wednesday, the businessman did not want to comment on the file. He sent to The Press a copy of a letter sent to La Prairie City Hall two days earlier.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Construction site of the former La Prairie golf course, Monday
“The work currently being carried out on the land strictly complies with the terms of the certificate of authorization [le permis] issued by the city, ”wrote Mr. Gariépy. He qualifies as “false and defamatory” the arguments of the City.
According to him, “a very large proportion of the trees cut are ash trees, a species often affected by the emerald ash borer”. But even if the City felt that the limits of its permit had been exceeded, it has “no power to revoke a duly issued certificate,” argues Mr. Gariépy.
These arguments do not convince Mayor Frédéric Galantai. However, he confirmed that La Prairie was not – at this time – asking the courts to stop the work by means of an application for an injunction. ” Currently not. We are in the process of submitting daily statements of offense, ”he said.
The La Prairie golf course redevelopment project has been the subject of debate for many years in La Prairie. Until last week, the City had authorized preparatory work to be carried out on the land, while reserving its final approval for the construction of dwellings.