Pointe-Claire coalition hopes to rescue Pioneer
A new citizens group has banded together to oppose the demolition of the Pioneer bar building in the Pointe-Claire Village.
Le Coeur du Pointe-Claire/ The Heart of Pointe-Claire, a non-profit group “unified in their determination to keep the Village a Village,” unveiled an alternative plan to restore the Pioneer, which has been shuttered since July 2018.
The Pioneer’s fate will be decided Thursday when Pointe-Claire’s demolition committee meets (7:30 p.m.) at city hall to decide whether to accept or reject the most recent replacement plan by developer Greg Koegl for the Pioneer and adjacent public parking lot, which the municipality has conditionally agreed to sell.
“This replacement plan is a condo structure not at all in keeping with either the scale or character of the village,” the Heart of PointeClaire said in a statement.
By approving demolition of the 118-year-old Pioneer building, “the city would contravene its own stated objective of heritage protection and respect for the village’s character.”
The Heart of Pointe-Claire, headed by Claude Lesage, announced a comprehensive plan to restore the Pioneer, if the city is prepared to halt the building’s demolition.
“The building itself is structurally sound,” said Linda De Witt, a member of the new group. “Paul Parfett and his associates would restore the building in stages, with the most important being the ‘shell’ of the building: roof; windows; exterior walls and balconies.”
Pointe-Claire architect Patrick McGee prepared the drawing of what a restored Pioneer would look like, including a second-floor balcony and horizontal wood siding.
According to one estimate, an exterior reno/restoration would cost approximately $926,000.
The Pointe-Claire Heritage Preservation Society (Société pour la Sauvegarde du Patrimoine de Pointe-Claire or SSPPC) is also exploring the possibility of government subsidies to help with restoration costs.
“Restoring the building would have many advantages over demolishing it,” DeWitt said.
“It would be much less disruptive to the local merchants. The adjacent parking could remain a public lot, available to clients of all and any village merchant or business. Furthermore, while the condo project ... would seriously endanger the village cachet, restoring the Pioneer building would most assuredly be a great way to enhance it.”
But Pointe-Claire Mayor John Belvedere said it’s too late for a heritage saviour.
“Nobody stepped up to buy it or put money into it, and they had the opportunity to do it.”
The mayor said the Pioneer property was on the market for 10 years with no takers. And despite strong opposition to the condo plan, the mayor said most PointeClaire residents are supportive of the city’s plan to green-light new developments in the village or at the Walton Ave. strip mall site.
“It’s the squeaky wheel that gets the most attention, but there is also a silent majority out there that is strong, that wants these changes,” he said.
“We live in an older community and where we’ve had little change over the years,” Belvedere said. “And now we have change coming, and I think it’s a positive change, you get that not-in-my-backyard syndrome happening.”
However, Lesage said he’s worried Pointe-Claire is quickly becoming “Condo-ville.”