BEACONSFIELD — Steve Lakatos loves to walk dogs and chat with friends. Now there may be a little more bounce in his steps.
Steve’s dog-walking destination of choice — Angell Woods — has just been granted “conservation” status by the city of Montreal.
READ MORE: Conservation groups vow to protect Angell Woods
It means the vast green space in Beaconsfield will likely stay that way for quite some time.
“I think that’s fantastic. The more they can conserve of it, the better,” Lakatos said.
Nature lovers, environmentalists and ordinary west islanders who love this area have been fighting for years to protect it from residential development. They finally feel a sense of vindication.
“We used to have a place in the townships. don’t have it anymore. so this is the only chance we get to really get outdoors,” said Beaconsfield resident Syd Leavitt, who walks there everyday.
Angell Woods is one of the last large areas of green space on the island. It borders Highways 20 and 40 and measures 105 hectares, which is the equivalent of almost 200 football fields.
But one of the areas under dispute is privately owned by an American. That space takes up almost one-fifth of the land, and the owner wants the right to sell it back to the city.
Diana Shahmoon’s family has owned her share of the land for 50 years. The Long Island resident appeared before a special Montreal city commission last year requesting the city pay her a fair market price, something she claims has never been done.
“They’ve never made an offer to any of the Angell Woods owners as far as I know in writing,” she told Global News on the phone Thursday.
WATCH: Angell Woods property owner up-in-arms
City officials insist they are trying to negotiate a deal with Shahmoon. But Montreal Executive Committee Member Russell Copeman wouldn’t confirm whether Montreal has made a formal offer.
“As a public body we have an obligation to be a little but more reserved and responsible. And I believe we’ve been both responsible and reserved in this file,” he said.
When asked why this hasn’t been settled, Copeman replied, “Well, I think there’s something called a difference in price.”
If the issue isn’t resolved soon, Shahmoon threatens to sue Montreal for her share of the market value.
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