Talks but no plans for new housing in Pierrefonds West, mayor says
No concrete plans on the table and no permits issued. That was Pierrefonds-Roxboro mayor Jim Beis’s answer to a question raised about the future development of 175 hectares in western Pierrefonds during the borough’s council meeting June 1.
“There is nothing to present at this point,” Beis said. “But we continue to meet every month with all the partners involved (representatives from the City of Montreal and investors) to discuss the best way to develop Pierrefonds West.”
Talk of a development with a possible 5,000 houses has been percolating for years and not without controversy. The 175 hectares in question have already been zoned residential, but concerns about the environmental impact on the area and about the impact an increase in traffic would have on an already strained road infrastructure remain in play.
City councillor Justine McIntyre (Bois-de-Liesse) is against developing the parcel of land and has been trying to keep up with the latest in development plans for the area for months now with little success.
“Two or three months into my mandate, I attended a presentation by the (borough’s) urbanplanning department of a very tentative plan of what the development could look like,” McIntyre said. “It’s been radio silence ever since. I recently submitted a request for information to the borough secretary about which promoters (investors) are involved in the planning. “
Beis said during the June 1 council meeting that public consultations with the involvement of the OCPM (Office de consultation publique de Montréal) would be held when a detailed urban plan became a reality.
McIntrye spoke with the Montreal Gazette last week immediately after attending an information session about how the OCPM works and how best to use its services. Bois-de-Liesse borough councillor Roger Trottier also attended the session.
“I found out that any project that involves more than 25,000 square metres must be presented to the OCPM,” McIntyre said. “Pierrefonds West is certainly larger than that, so the borough doesn’t have a choice. It has to involve the OCPM.”
In February, Beis told the Mon- treal Gazette that development of the area could not move forward without improvements to public transit and road infrastructure.
McIntyre agrees that improvements to public transit and road infrastructure in the area are a must.
Both want to see the construction of an urban boulevard with dedicated bus lanes which would link the new development to Highways 40 and 20. The proposed north-south artery would pass through Kirkland. Last October, Kirkland mayor Michel Gibson said he would push to see a Highway 40 overpass built in conjunction with any urban boulevard in order to prevent a traffic crush at that intersection.
“I see the need for a boulevard to help traffic flow,” McIntyre said. “Citizens living in the area complain to me about how difficult it is to get around. But I’m conflicted, because if a boulevard is built, it will certainly motivate the developers to get moving on a plan and I don’t want to see that land developed. It used to be zoned agricultural and having agricultural land on the island is interesting.”
Beis was firm when telling citizens attending the council meeting that the Pierrefonds West talks were still in the early stages.
“We have to look at where streets would be, houses, green spaces, schools. We have none of that yet,” he said.
But McIntyre worries things are moving along more quickly than that. She said that, historically, Pierrefonds does not have a strong track record for consulting citizens.
She said that, following the OCPM information session, she has identified more projects in the borough that should be presented to the OCPM, including the rejuvenation of Port-de-Plaisance Marina, off Lalande Blvd., west of Highway 13, and the revitalization of Roxboro Village.
“If the borough does not want to consult on these or other projects, (Roger Trottier) and I may very well go forward with an independent consultation, funded by our party,” McIntyre said.