Opponents of NDG supermarket complex at Claremont force referendum
Councill will decide whether to go to vote or withdraw project in mid-January
Residents who oppose a major housing and supermarket project at the southwest corner of Claremont and De Maisonneuve have succeeded in forcing a referendum on the issue.
- Provigo's grocery megastore gets green light in NDG
- NDG residents say no to new grocery store complex
A total of 16 signatures were required on a registry before 7 p.m. Thursday in order to force the referendum to be held by the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.
A borough official has confirmed that the total was reached prior to the deadline.
The 3,700-square-metre project would include a Provigo supermarket as well as a seniors' home and units devoted to parents of children in the Montreal Children's Hospital.
The signatures will be deposited at the next borough council meeting, to be held on Dec. 7. Council will likely decide at the following meeting, in mid-January, to either proceed with the referendum or simply withdraw the project.
'Unacceptable by the community'
Resident James Luck, who opposes the project, says that the area is already too congested.
"The corner is very highly used for buses and cars and adding a whole bunch more traffic is deemed to be unacceptable by the community," Luck told CBC.
One supporter notes, however, that many needy people will benefit from the new facilities.
"There will be a building at the corner de Maisonneuve and Claremont, no matter what it is. So better choose the option that will serve the community," said Marie-Josée Gariépy, president of the Montreal Children's Hospital Foundation.
On Nov. 3 the borough approved zoning changes that would permit developers to build a 10-storey structure on the site.
The project would include 250 underground parking spaces, including 80 for customers of the 30,000 square foot supermarket which would also have 255 units above.