The intentions of the City of Montreal in terms of protecting the built heritage of Chinatown are good, but we must go further, said the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) in a report published Thursday. For this sector to remain a “living environment”, the independent organization recommends, in particular, the construction of affordable housing and the development of green spaces.
The OCPM was mandated by the City of Montreal at the end of January to examine its desire to revise downwards the densities and heights permitted within the perimeter of Chinatown, bounded by Jeanne-Mance and Saint-Dominique streets. , Avenue Viger and Boulevard René-Lévesque. This quadrilateral would also be widened to rue De Bleury, to the west, and rue Sainte-Élisabeth, to the east.
The City thus wishes to ensure the preservation of the built heritage of Chinatown, coveted by several real estate projects that threaten to erode its distinctive architectural character. At the same time, the Government of Quebec indicated last winter its intention to provide heritage classification to the institutional core of the sector and to two of its most emblematic buildings, including the former building of the British and Canadian School, erected in 1826, which is in the sights of promoters Brandon Shiller and Jeremy Kornbluth.
These efforts are welcomed by the OCPM, which devotes the first recommendation of its 70-page report to the adoption of the regulatory changes proposed by the City, while suggesting that it further reduce the densities and heights permitted in the sector.
The municipal administration will also have to go further in its actions if it wishes to ensure the preservation of a “complete and lively living environment” for the residents of Chinatown, notes the OCPM. The organization therefore recommends that the City of Montreal “invest the necessary resources to implement targeted actions aimed at ensuring the living environment and economic vitality of Chinatown”.
In this regard, several organizations and citizens who took part in this consultation mentioned the importance of facilitating the construction of social and affordable housing in this sector, where condominium and hotel projects are multiplying, we can read.
The Ville-Marie Housing Committee thus proposes the granting of exemptions to the heights and densities permitted with regard to housing projects intended for seniors, for example. The Council for the Development of Chinatown evokes for its part the idea of an exemption for the construction of residences for foreign students in this sector located in the heart of the city center.
Green spaces
The OCPM also notes the importance of reserving spaces for the creation of green environments in order to counter the formation of heat islands. The City could also promote Chinese culture and art more by financing the holding of exhibitions and festivals in the district.
In a written reaction Thursday, the head of urban planning and citizen participation on the Montreal executive committee, Robert Beaudry, was delighted with the “more than favorable” reception from the OCPM to the regulatory amendments proposed by the City. “to protect and enhance Chinatown”.
“Since 2017, we have been collaborating with the neighborhood community and we are fully committed to continuing this important work” which aims to “protect and enhance this sector with high historical and heritage value”, added the elected official.