Townhouses to replace strip mall
Homeowners who live in older neighbourhoods can be fiercely protective of their environment. New builds that might alter the architectural landscape are often frowned upon.
Such is the case with the plan to replace a derelict strip mall with 24 townhouses on Walton Ave. in the Lakeside Heights neighbourhood in Pointe-Claire where tidy, red-brick cottages, bungalows and split-levels line the streets.
The developer has filed a request for a demolition permit and Lakeside Heights resident Genny Gomes plans to attend the demolition committee meeting at city hall to voice her displeasure. The meeting takes place Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (A request for the demolition of a home at 363 Lakeshore Rd. will also be considered.)
Gomes has circulated a petition and gathered around 600 signatures opposing the Walton project.
During an interview last week, she criticized the process.
“You can only see the actual plans (for the project) after the demolition sign has been posted on the property and then you only have 10 days to react,” Gomes said.
Gomes checked out the plans and was not happy with what she saw. “These rows of town homes do not fit with the single-family homes in the area,” she said. “I would like to see someone buy the strip mall and revitalize it. At least, I would like to see single homes built that fit in with the neighbourhood.”
Gomes also said the town home basements are high which she thinks makes the buildings taller than allowed.
Built in 1959, the mall was a thriving commercial destination until as recently as 2009, but business faltered over the last nine years.
What is frustrating for some residents is that they only become aware of a project late in the process. Recently, Pointe-Claire’s Urban Planning Department director Heather LeBlanc explained the ABCs of urban planning. There are multiple elements which inform any urban-planning decision. Public information sessions and public consultations are part of the process.
At the macro level is the Montreal urban agglomeration’s Land Use and Development Plan which incorporates elements of the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal’s Metropolitan Land Use and Development Plan (PMAD). These plans look at the island as a whole.
Then comes the adoption of a municipal planning program. Pointe-Claire’s was adopted in 2010 and updated in 2018. Since 2010, the Walton location was listed in Appendix 1 as an “infill project” — a project targeting the redevelopment of underused land.
LeBlanc said that prior to the adoption of the planning program in 2010, there were two public consultations during which citizens presented briefs. It was in 2010 that the Walton strip mall was first flagged as a possible site for redevelopment.
Focus tightened further with the adoption of special planning programs for Pointe-Claire’s city centre, Valois Village and PointeClaire Village. LeBlanc said formal notices announcing information sessions were distributed throughout the municipality for each of the special planning programs.
Micro focus came with village codes for the city centre, Valois Village and Pointe-Claire Village.
LeBlanc said everything needed to make the vision a reality is folded into the code. When asked about complaints of a lack of transparency when making urban planning decisions, LeBlanc said they are compelled by law to keep details about requests from individuals and developers confidential in the early stages.
A decision about the demolition request will be made at Thursday ’s meeting. An appeal can be filed within 30 days of the decision.