After three years of negotiations, the borough of Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce has acquired a vacant building on Paré Street in the Triangle district.
The building, located amongst a slew of towering condominiums, was once used as a multilingual school for CEGEP Marie-Victorin.
With a price tag of $9.1 million, the borough says there are several possible uses for the three-storey building.
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More than 3,000 condo units clutter the triangle district and borough Mayor Sue Montgomery says she plans on fulfilling a campaign promise of creating a social hub in the area.
“It’s an area that definitely needs community space,” Montgomery said.
“People need more than just a place to go home. They need places to get together and to gather.”
Montgomery says although it is still early, she is excited with the multiple possibilities for the building.
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A growing number of young families live in the area and with a lack of schools in the district, the borough is strongly considering transforming the building into a elementary school.
“There is a huge need,” Montgomery said.
The borough and the Commisson scolaire de Montréal (CSDM) are in preliminary discussions about the idea.
CSDM president Catherine Harel Bourdon says there is a need for a French school in the area within the next five years.
“We need the land and we don’t have any space in that part of the city,” Bourdon said.
No final decision or timeline has been made on the fate of the building.