Dorval residents put their foot down over proposed seniors high rise!
07 Nov 2019
A register opposing a zoning bylaw amendment required to build a high rise for seniors in Dorval needed 62 signatures in order to move on to the next step in the bid to block the project. The register was signed by 162 citizens, Oct. 30.
Seniors-facility specialist Groupe Sélection had flagged a modestly sized piece of land, immediately east of Dorval Ave. and south of Highway 20, for the construction of a 12-storey high rise for independent seniors.
A group of citizens living in contiguous zones have been vocal about their disapproval ever since Groupe Sélection held a public information session in July. They voiced multiple concerns, but the overarching consensus was that the project was too big for the neighbourhood and that the 12 storeys contravened the city’s master urban plan, which sets height limits at eight stories.
That eight-storey vision is being challenged again, right across the street. West Island Gazette reporter John Meagher reported recently that the developer who purchased the shopping centre Jardins Dorval, immediately west of Dorval Ave. and south of Highway 20, is proposing a development plan that would include a half-dozen apartment and condo towers and up to 950 residential units. The tallest building would be 16 storeys. The project would require zoning bylaw amendments which means it, too, would be open to the register/referendum process.
The next step, following a successful register, is for city council to decide whether or not to hold a referendum.
In August, Mayor Edgar Rouleau told the West Island Gazette, “We have never held a referendum on a zoning issue. If people are against it, they are against it. But we don’t have this type of housing in Dorval and there is a demand for it.”
If a referendum is not held, the zoning bylaw amendment is dropped.
