c.d.n.-n.d.g. neighbourhood wants school, park, shops — not developer’s scaled-back project

a developer’s proposal to build a high-density apartment complex in the triangle neighbourhood is back after being redrafted to lower the height and add green space. however, residents who say the area is already overbuilt and under-serviced want their côte-des-neiges—notre-dame-de-grâce borough to declare a moratorium on new construction.a final vote on developer groupe mach’s project at de la savane st. and victoria ave. was put on hold by the borough’s previous projet montréal administration before last fall’s municipal election after a large number of residents showed up to a borough consultation to oppose it. the project at that time called for two 17-storey towers and two buildings of nine and six storeys and passed first reading at the borough council before the process was paused.last week, groupe mach held a meeting at its office at the site so area residents could see a rendering of the new version, which calls for heights of seven, eight, 10 and 12 storeys.“we think we have a good project,” said véronique alepin, vice-president of real estate development for groupe mach. she added that the complex, which has been reduced to 466 units from an initial 573 units and has lost about 100,000 square feet of space, responds to the city’s need for more housing.however, marc-Étienne lévesque, who is president of the condo board of rouge 1, across the street from the proposed complex, said the triangle is already turning into another griffintown and hundreds more units would only increase congestion.  

before allowing more highrises, he and other residents want the province to build a long-promised school and want a large park, small shops, public spaces and recreation services that were promised by the city when the triangle began development 15 years ago.“the triangle neighbourhood has contributed its share to relieve the housing crisis," lévesque said, adding that roads are highly congested in the area, as is nearby namur métro station."now we need a neighbourhood. we’re saturated. we’re 3,000 residents with half a park and no school.”the november election ushered in a new administration in the borough and at city hall, both led by ensemble montréal. it’s unclear where the party’s c.d.n.-n.d.g. borough councillors stand on the new version of the project.ensemble montréal councillors, including sonny moroz, who represents the district that includes the triangle, declined to be interviewed. “we will take the time to analyze the new version of the project presented by groupe mach, as well as the feedback from the public gathered during the (developer's meeting) on june 9,” said guillaume pelletier, a spokesperson for the borough’s elected officials.since the project already passed first reading at 17 storeys and was approved by the borough’s planning advisory board, alepin said all that’s left is a final vote by the new borough council, which she said she hopes will come in september. alepin suggested that the turnout at the meeting — about 50 people — shows there’s limited opposition. she added that negative comments about the lack of parks, schools and shops in the neighbourhood are in the borough’s control and are not criticisms of the project. “i sent 1,200 invitations or more (to area residents), and i got 50 people. you have your answer.”however, lévesque said attendance at an event organized by a developer shouldn’t be used to measure satisfaction or dissatisfaction. “i know there were people who wanted to boycott,” he said.“if they really think their project is good, well, let’s do a referendum to have a real idea of people’s opinion.”

the previous projet montréal administration removed the right to a local referendum on the project. it invoked a quebec law that grants municipalities temporary power to speed up approval of residential projects, notably by allowing them to bypass citizens’ right to a referendum.   of the 466 units called for in the new plan, 20 per cent — or 93 units — are expected to be off-market social housing, alepin said. groupe mach is in talks with community organizations to partner in those units, she said. alepin expressed frustration with how long it takes to get municipal approval to build in montreal. “we started discussing the project with the borough in 2023. it’s 2026 and we still don’t have a project approved,” she said. once approved, it takes another year to get permits approved, alepin added, so construction might begin around the fall of 2027 and be completed in 2029 or early 2030. “if you do the calculation, this project will take seven years to be done,” she said. “if we are trying to manage a housing crisis and each project takes seven years, i don’t know if you find that rapid. … it’s not normal.”she added that groupe mach made efforts to accommodate residents’ concerns. for example, one of the 17-storey buildings that was supposed to face lévesque’s eight-storey condo building has been brought down to eight storeys. “we weren’t obliged (to modify the project), but we judged as owners in the neighbourhood that we need an approach to listen to people and modify our project,” alepin said.lévesque said he appreciates that the developer met with the condo boards in the area this spring to hear their concerns. “hats off to them," he said. "all developers should meet with residents. on the other hand, the state of the neighbourhood upsets us. we don’t want more construction until the city respects the promises it made."