Horse sense advised at Griffintown consultations

Montreal's southwest borough council heard from several groups Monday night about a proposed $1.3-billion redevelopment plan for Griffintown.

Public consultations on the project tabled by developer Devimco drew more than 100 people to the cole de Technologie Suprieure engineering school (ETS), including one group that arrived in a horse-drawn carriage.

Members of the Committee to Save Griffintown rode the caleche to make a point that horses represent the unique and historical character of the district slated for renewal.

"There are stables in Griffintown as of now, and the horse has always been part of the neighbourhood," said Hlne Dansereau, a committee member. "We would like to keep them."

Devimco has proposed to redevelop several city blocks of the neighbourhood into a residential and commercial district.

Several groups have raised concerns about the proposal's scale, including the plan to erect 20-storey buildings.

"Height is not a good idea, density is a good idea," said Juliette Patterson, a landscape architect in Pointe St. Charles, who spoke on behalf of a group of residents and professionals in the area. "It's very good to densify because more people living in the city is better than them going to the suburbs, in terms of keeping land."

Montreal already has a great example of densely built neighbourhoods and Griffintown could follow suit, Patterson said.

"You don't actually have to have height to have density," she said. "Case in point is the Plateau Mont-Royal, which according to Statistics Canada, is the densest residential neighbourhood in Canada and it's only three or four storeys high."

Other groups who presented briefs included two doctors from Montreal's public health agency, who stressed the importance of green space to attract families to the area.

The Devimco project is the largest private investment in Montreal's history.

Construction on the project could start later this year.

Consultations will continue Tuesday night at ETS on Peel Street at the corner of Notre Dame Street West.

Other sessions will be held on Thursday from 3 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., and Friday from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., at the Georges Vanier building in Little Burgundy.