The battle of the Pioneer continues in Pointe-Claire!

It’s last call for the Pioneer, and citizens groups in Pointe-Claire are making a final push to convince the city to halt the demolition of the landmark bar.

With the final appeal of the Pioneer demolition set for Monday, May 6 (7 p.m.) at city hall, the Heart of Pointe-Claire (HPC), a grass-roots citizens group, is hoping members of city council will put the heritage of the historic Pointe-Claire Village ahead of private interests.

“Both the people of the Village of Pointe-Claire and those outside it, who love our quaint Village, do not want this condo project to go ahead,” Heart of Pointe-Claire, headed by local businessman Claude Lesage, said in a statement.

Heart of Pointe-Claire was formed in the wake of the city’s decision to demolish the Pioneer and approve the construction of a luxury condo project. The group said more than 500 letters of opposition to the project were recently delivered to city hall in an effort to appeal the city’s approval of a mixed-use project, comprised of 15 condos and four street-level businesses.

The latest pushback came after the city’s Demolition Committee approved a revised condo plan from Koebra Construction March 21 after a five-hour public meeting at city hall, despite strong opposition from local citizens.

At the meeting, the city also presented its plan to compensate for the loss of the 35-space municipal lot by building 27 new parking spaces on Lanthier Ave., next to the Beaconsfield Golf Course.

But critics say the city is improvising its parking plan to appease the interests of the developer, whose condo project will force visitors to park further away from the heart of the village.

“The loss of the parking lot the city intends to sell to the developer is a chief concern of merchants, residents and visitors alike,” the Heart of Pointe-Claire said.

The group said the city’s proposed parking solution “would mean losing free parking in the centre of the Village, with replacement parking a minimum 170-metre walk to the main street.”

“There is no timeline for replacement parking to be built: no start date and no completion deadline. There is no estimate of the cost of replacement parking. This subsidy to the developer was promised without knowing its final cost.

“The sketchy plans suggest using golf course land, but there is no approval from the golf course to sell and for additional parking,” HPC said.

However, Pointe-Claire Mayor John Belvedere has steadfastly supported  the Pioneer project from the outset. He recently told the West Island Gazette the luxury condo project has the support of the “silent majority” of Pointe-Claire citizens.

Belvedere said no one stepped up to buy the Pioneer years ago when it was put on the market. But some critics note the building was originally listed for $1.6 million, and didn’t include the adjacent parking lot. The Pioneer property was eventually sold to the developer for $450,000. The city has conditionally soldthe adjacent parking lot to the developer, pending final approval of the condo project.

The Heart of Pointe-Claire also sent a formal request to Quebec’s Municipal Affairs Ministry and the Commission municipale du Québec (CMQ) last month to “open an inquiry into all the dealings between the city of Pointe-Claire and the developer, Koebra Development Corp.”

The HPC coalition also announced a comprehensive plan to restore the Pioneer if the city is prepared to halt the building’s demolition.

It also says a heritage appraisal of the 118-year-old Pioneer building done for the city by Architecture A49 Inc. is flawed. The report, paid for by the developer, found little heritage left from the original 1901-built structure.

HPC recommends another heritage report ordered and carried out by a “disinterested” party appointed by Quebec’s Minister of Cultural Affairs “to assess the heritage building free of interference from the developer or the city.”

Linda DeWitt, a Pointe-Claire resident and member of HPC, is hoping the city’s eight-member council will vote to scrap the village condo project on May 6.

“Pointe-Claire citizens did not vote for their city to become Condoville,” she said in her letter of appeal. “And they certainly did not vote for our administration to bend and\or break laws for the financial gain of condo developers, at taxpayers’ expense. This administration has been guilty of irregular and improper actions, and this must stop.

“This project does not have a shred of ‘village’ aesthetic,” she added. “This project has no social acceptability, and is opposed by a majority of Village residents, by those living nearby, and by many in other parts of the city. This project does not belong in the Pointe-Claire Village.”

The Pointe-Claire Heritage Preservation Society (SSPPC) is also asking citizens to weigh in on the Pioneer debate through an online survey.

After a mass mailing to local residents, it is asking citizens to choose between a restored Pioneer, as put forward by HPC, or the mixed-use condo project submitted by developer Greg Koegl.