MONTREAL – Dozens of home owners in a quiet off island neighbourhood fear their quality of life is at stake.
They are worried that the town of L’Île-Perrot wants to bulldoze over their lifestyle.
Elected officials have plans to extend du Boisé Street through a forest and allow developers to build a housing project.
“It would be a disaster with traffic coming through here,” Beverly Hamilton said at the edge of her Park Avenue street on the other side of the forest.
A town official confirmed to Global News that it has plans to build the road through the woods to alleviate traffic congestion on the adjacent streets.
But residents don’t buy the argument.
They fear the town is simply transferring a congestion problem from one part of the town to another.
“When I asked repeatedly what were the benefits, they had no answers,” long-time resident Catherine Vincent said.
Vincent has spearheaded a grassroots movement to stop the town’s plans.
The wooded area has two pedestrian paths; one that opens directly onto a park and another onto a baseball diamond, part of which would be destroyed with the town’s development proposals.
Many homeowners also fear their property taxes would increase as a result of the project, yet their homes would lose value. Some are even considering moving away.
“Now, it’s not as appealing as it once was,” Sarah Kuchinsky said.
Her home sits right next to the forest on a dead-end street.
“No cars are passing fast. It’s a nice little area,” she said.
Residents plan to take their fight to the next town hall meeting on Tuesday nigh
Comments