WATCH ABOVE: Dorval held a public consultation on zoning shifts that have to do with some of the changes brought on by the Train de l’ouest, and the possible light rail line to the airport. Billy Shields has more.
DORVAL — The western side of Dorval Avenue that runs south of the A-20 is mostly occupied by low-slung commercial buildings like banks and drug stores. But eight-storey condo towers could be coming to the stretch of the road soon under proposed zoning changes put forth by the city of Dorval.
“It’s going to change the whole character” of the street, said Dorval resident Teresa Galawdecai.
She attended a public consultation session the city held Saturday at its public library complex.
“It already has. It’s really sad.”
For the first time since 1991, Dorval is overhauling its zoning regime, and a lot of the changes appear to prepare for heavier rail traffic and the possible dense residential construction that could follow.
“It will be easier for our citizens to use the new train station,” said Mario St-Jean, Dorval’s director of urban planning.
Read more: Commuter train advocates banking on the Caisse to deliver more service
But questions linger regarding the path of the proposed Train de l’Ouest and a possible light rail line that could link it to Trudeau Airport.
The company that manages the airport owns the land currently occupied by the nine-hole Dorval Municipal Golf Course, which is slated to close at the end of the year due to airport expansion and the possible rail construction — which could connect the train and the airport via light rail.
“Right now we don’t know exactly what their intentions are,” said Dorval City Councillor Michel Hebert, referring to Aeroports de Montreal, the airport’s corporate parent.
“We hear they want to integrate this with the Train de l’Ouest, but no plans have been submitted to us.”
Residents like Ivan Dow said the zoning changes were steps in the right direction, but is frustrated by a lack of information regarding the golf course’s future.
“We don’t know what is going on,” he said.
“We just have to wait and see, and then contest it and fight it later on,” he laughed.
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