Editorial: Unpave Paradise — Take Down a Parking Lot

This month, the Pointe-Claire Record has made the controversial choice to discuss development in Pointe-Claire. This is a subject that has its proponents and opponents, and both can be very passionate in their beliefs. 

We don’t believe there is a right or wrong, but, as a community and a society, we do have an obligation to develop more. The key is what and where in order to move forward.

We are bombarded by buzzwords like densification and many government acronyms like PMAD and CMM. How does all this fit into our little city? Hopefully, this issue will demystify some of this.

What we have to keep in mind is that the status quo is not something the provincial government will let us keep, so let’s put down the pitchforks and torches and see if we can come up with some ideas of how to incorporate these big changes.

Affordable and social housing are the biggest buzzwords out there and are often bandied about in discussing the need for densification. The sad part is that nobody wants social housing on their street or neighbourhood, and even affordable housing is a daunting prospect, with people visualizing massive towers or buildings sandwiched together into some inner-city nightmare. 

This is not what our elected officials want to bring into our backyards. They want to bring in new residents for our future while keeping those who love their city close to where they've helped build their community. 

Undoubtedly, Pointe-Claire and other local municipalities have seen the fabric of their community change. With desperate pleas from our food banks, the emergency relocation of the Ricochet shelter, and even people asking for help at shops and intersections—the West Island is facing a new reality, and it's our responsibility to make sure resources exist for all segments of our population. 

Recently, discussions were held with the director of a major Montreal mission and the SPVM’s consultant officer for homelessness about holding a roundtable with our local mayors. An invitation was sent out to five cities, and not a single one responded. Without our mayors truly acknowledging all the demographics in our cities, we will never be able to fully assess the long-term needs of our citizens or how to maintain the quality of life and opportunities for which the West Island is known.

So who do we build for? People point fingers and say those residences are too expensive, those shouldn’t be there, and don’t make them too tall. But none of the buildings of the last 10 years sit empty; all are full. Are we wrong about wanting to keep things just the way they are? Is this just a fear of change? There are so many questions and, sadly, very little leadership.

The mayor has done little to unite on this subject, calling the developments on Hymus east of Saint-Jean Boulevard a disaster and referring to some homes as McMansions—not very welcoming, for sure. But he isn’t alone in this train of thought. There are some in Pointe-Claire that do not want any more development, period. Leadership on this file to find the right compromise is what is needed, not divisiveness.

Pointe-Claire has very little free land left to develop, and the only option left is to build up, with some of the designated transit zones perfectly suited for this. 

This leads us to the controversial plan to develop the Fairview parking lot, which faces some strong opposition. How is an underused asphalt expanse better than housing? Some have argued about increased traffic, but most people living in a transit-oriented development (TOD) have only one car used for recreational purposes, while many have none at all; these people would not make a statistical difference in the volume of traffic. 

And yes, we feel strongly that we can talk about the parking lot without talking about the wooded area next to it. They are two separate zones for a reason: Mu1 and Mu2, each with a different footprint, each with a different plan. 

Pointe-Claire needs to move forward; it cannot live in the past. To close this editorial, we will leave you an Endangered Story of Pointe-Claire’s last big evolution.