Pointe-Claire, residents reach land-purchase deal
The residents of Brigadoon Ave. in Pointe-Claire have reached a purchase agreement with the city concerning a 15-metre wide, 800-metre long stretch of city-owned land behind their homes.
In September 2016, homeowners received notice that the servitude would be taken back by the city to allow for the installation of a bike path. Problem was, a verbal agreement had been in place for decades which led people to believe that they could absorb the city land into their backyards to plant trees, landscape gardens and install sheds, ponds and pools.
On at least one occasion, the agreement was in writing.
A reporter was shown a letter sent to a homeowner by the city in 1986 stating that the land could be landscaped, with the understanding that the city be allowed access if necessary.
Over the decades, the gardens grew lush and the trees matured. Homeowners were confident the gentleman’s agreement would remain in place in perpetuity. When advised that the land would be taken back and portions of their backyards disassembled as a result, they pushed back.
An alternative location for the bike path was suggested. Both sides of the debate had drawn on a city-commissioned report compiled by Vélo-Québec outlining route options for a city-wide network of bike paths.
Homeowners spoke of the beauty and maturity of their gardens and financial investment incurred. But the previous administration would not budge. So residents offered to buy a portion of the land, something that had been tried in the past, to no avail. The previous administration did make them an offer to purchase 4.6 metres of land, but the residents found the amount to be unacceptable. They sought legal help to put the required measures in place to stop any work being done until a solution was found.
A new administration was voted in Nov. 5, 2017, which resulted in a fresh look at the standoff.
The value of the land in question was studied and the city made a purchase proposal. An agreement was reached with the 11 affected homeowners to purchase 4.6 metres of the servitude, leaving 10.7 metres as a buffer zone between Brigadoon backyards and a townhouse development. The 10.7 meters would also leave enough room for a 6.1 metre-wide bike path.
The financial details of the purchase agreement were not revealed.