Montreal wants to transform nearly 300 parking spaces into green space at the top of Mount Royal, Mayor Valérie Plante announced Monday.
The project, presented as a legacy of COP15, should start in the summer of 2024 and end two years later.
In total, 40% of the 725 parking spaces located around the Smith House will be removed to make way for the “natural clearing” provided for in the park’s original development plans.
ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED BY THE CITY OF MONTREAL
The “natural clearing” that should replace the parking lot
“Mount Royal is the lung of the metropolis,” said Valérie Plante. “Mount Royal is at the heart of the city’s identity and Montrealers are particularly attached to it. »
According to data from the City of Montreal, these parking lots are rarely used at full capacity.
The City of Montreal is in discussion with the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) to increase public transit service to the summit of Mount Royal.
In addition to the project to reduce the number of parking spaces, the City also announced the planting of several hundred trees at the foot of the mountain, around the monument to Georges-Étienne Cartier, as well as the desire to green parking lots Royal Victoria which will be ceded to it in 10 years.
“It represents the largest expansion of Mount Royal Park since its creation in 1872,” said Valérie Plante.