Proponents and critics of the proposed development plan at the former Montreal Children’s Hospital site attended public consultations Monday night.
It’s the next round in a process that could see a large-scale condo, housing and rental complex built on the grounds of the former hospital.
Developers in attendance came to hear the presentations.
READ MORE: Former Montreal Children’s Hospital to be converted into $400M housing project
The urban planner who worked on the project for Devimco said he worked to make it a balanced proposal.
“The strength is that many different people will have access to the site,” Brian Fahey told Global News outside the public meeting.
“There are community offices and social housing mixed in, there’s also lots of green space.”
While critics support the mixed usage, they do have other concerns.
READ MORE: Moving the Children’s: One mother’s heartbreaking good-bye
Dinu Bumbaru from Heritage Montreal wants to see more of the site preserved.
Most of the building will be demolished, although the nurses pavilion, built in 1919, will be conserved.
Bumbaru also worries about the height of the six towers, reaching between 20 and 30 storeys high.
READ MORE: Moving the Children’s: A nurse’s walk down memory lane
“I’m not sure that a 120 meter tower will be of great benefit, blocking the market, crushing Cabot Square and causing disturbances,” he explained.
It’s a concern developers say they’ve taken into careful consideration.
“Allowing us to have higher heights allows us to have more green space on the ground,” Fahey responded.
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Members from the governing board at École Saint-Léon-de-Westmount were also at the hearing to advocate for a new school at the hospital site.
The French school said it has been battling overcrowding for several years.
READ MORE: Montreal Children’s Hospital completes move to Glen Site
“We have an overpopulation problem, we had to close our library and use it as a classroom, we had to ship some students to a school in Saint-Henri,” said Stéphanie Richard.
“It is critical that we get a new school soon.”
Consultations continue Tuesday and a final decision on the project is expected by June 2017.
WATCH BELOW: Plans for the old Montreal Children’s Hospital
Highlights of the project include:
- 1,400 rental, condominium and social housing units
- Seven buildings: six varying in height from 20 to 32 storeys and one three-storey heritage site
- Space for neighbourhood stores on the ground floors of the buildings
- Office space and a hotel with approximately 250 rooms
- Peter McGill Community Centre, housing a multipurpose performance venue, library, spaces for cultural and recreational activities, a community hall and more
- Green spaces, including a public park, expected to cover more than 30 per cent of the project’s total footprint
- Expanding Henri Dunant Square, converting part of Lambert-Closse Street to a park
- Restoring and integrating the original nurses’ residence
- Creating a new view to Cabot Square
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