Critics of a light rail project station planned for the Kirkland Colisée say if it is built, it will eventually pave the way for the l’Anse-à-L’Orme eco territory in Pierrefonds to be developed on.
“The fact that it is going there and nobody lives there, why put it in a place that’s not populated?” Donald Hobus, Sauvons-l’Anse-à-L’Orme member said.
In the past, attempts to build condominiums on the site have been met with protests and petitions from concerned residents.
The Caisse de Depot’s light rail project will have a station at the RioCan Centre, home to the Kirkland Colisée in Timerblea.
For Kirkland’s mayor, it is the perfect spot.
“We need a revamp there,” Michel Gibson told Global News Tuesday. “Will it bring more commercial business? I’m positive it will.”
Pierrefonds Mayor Jim Beis says public transit on the West Island is sorely needed and argues the light rail project is a necessity that won’t necessarily spur more development in the borough.
“If anything happens aside from public transit, there will be consultations where residents can voice their opinions,” Beis said.
The light rail station is slated to be running by the year 2020.