Developers eager to facilitate Pierrefonds West project launch

The five developers who own land in Pierrefonds West want to know what additional information they can supply to the borough to facilitate the project’s launch.

Over two years ago, their proposed Cap Nature Pierrefonds Ouest development project was presented to the public.

Since then, the pile of commissioned reports about both the project’s merits and its faults has continued to grow. The borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro, the central city, environmental groups and the developers themselves have added report after report to the pile.

The next step is for the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) to hold public hearings. Throughout the process, borough Mayor Jim Beis repeatedly said that council was waiting for the OCPM’s recommendations and for all the information to be gathered together in one place so that an informed decision could be made.

Former PQ environment minister David Cliche is the spokesman for the developers. On Monday, Cliche asked Beis to explain what additional information is needed from the developers to help facilitate the launch of the project.

“As I’ve said before, we are waiting for the OCPM’s recommendations,” Beis said. “We have respect for the OCPM and its recommendations.” Beis told reporters after the exchange that he had 30 years worth of files on the Pierrefonds West land, which was once zoned agricultural and is now zoned residential. He said it was not a project that could be rushed.

Beis said the OCPM was supposed to hold the hearings last fall, but that council was concerned the timing would conflict with public consultations on the proposed light-rail project, so the OCPM hearings were put on hold.

“I am not in control of the OCPM schedule, but I’ve been told they could happen the end of March or beginning of April,” Beis said.

“We’ll have to find a big enough venue to hold all the people who want to attend.”