MONTREAL — Diana Shahmoon is making a case that the cities of Montreal and Beaconsfield are trying to pull a family-owned piece of land out from under her feet.
The Long Island, New York resident slammed Beaconsfield mayor Georges Bourelle during public hearings before Montreal’s commission on future development for the island.
READ MORE: Housing project threatens Angell Woods
“The sole effort that we have seen to date is the effort to devalue Angell Woods, so Montreal and Beaconsfield can take it from us for pennies on the dollar,” she said before the seven commissioners, including Bourelle.
Shahmoon owns slightly less than two million square feet of the Angell Woods property in Beaconsfield — or about 18 per cent of the entire land.
The American would like to sell her family owned share to Montreal at a fair market value but Shahmoon argues no serious offer is being made.
“They want to get it for free.”
“I don’t know why politicians are not ethical.”
The green space, made up a 105 hectares (the equivalent of almost 200 football fields), is mostly a forested area and has been the centre of controversy for years between the city of Beaconsfield, conservationists, visitors who walk through the area, and land owners.
While the entire space is zoned as residential, an interim bylaw passed by Beasonsfield and Montreal prevents any housing projects from being built until a final decision is made on what should be the ultimate status of the land.
WATCH: Angell Woods controversy continues
Shahmoon won a court case in 2012 against Beaconsfield, mandating the city to stop billing her for property taxes because she’s not allowed to build.
She said she hasn’t received a serious offer from Montreal or Beaconsfield to purchase her land.
“Wasn’t the land that you owned evaluated at one dollar in 2012?” Bourelle asked her during the commission hearings.
“Yes,” Shahmoon replied.
“You know why? The courts thought that Beaconsfield was so unfair to the land owners that they slashed the taxes to one dollar. We cannot do anything with it.”
Shahmoon says her father bought the property in 1955, “I want the assets that are due. I don’t think that’s too much to ask,” she said.
Shahmoon has her doubts this issue can be settled through negotiations. She said she’s ready to sue both Beaconsfield and Montreal to get a fair market value for the land.
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