A date has been set for a referendum on a controversial housing development project in Hampstead on the Island of Montreal.
Town officials confirmed the vote will take place on Nov. 24. This comes after 250 people signed a public register last week in favour of the action.
READ MORE: Controversial housing demolition in Hampstead to go to referendum
Laurie Kezas, communications officer for the Town of Hampstead, told Global News that about 2,000 people — all residents in the neighbourhood where the proposed development would be built — are qualified to vote in the referendum.
“If approved by 50 per cent of the voters, a 10-storey building with 90 apartments will be built on Côte Saint-Luc Road,” she said.
The referendum results will decide the fate of two affordable apartment buildings on Côte Saint-Luc Road that could be torn down in favour of constructing luxury apartments.
“That is the scary part of my situation,” Clarita Llobrera, who lives in one of the buildings with her 86-year-old husband, told Global News last week. “We don’t know where to go.”
READ MORE: Tensions boil as residents continue fight against Hampstead demolition project
It’s a project that has divided the Hampstead community for months — some who support the idea of keeping residents in their affordable homes and others who claim they don’t want to live “near poor people.”
Mayor William Steinberg has long shown support for the development, arguing it will revitalize an area he considers to be rundown.
He vetoed council’s decision not to demolish the complex in July and broke a tie in August by voting in favour of the project, claiming the town needs the revenue.
READ MORE: ‘It’s a lot of tax revenue’ — Hampstead mayor reiterates support for housing demolition project
The developers, Mitchell Abrahams and Mitchell Moss, have promised to help relocate affected residents to other affordable units in the area.
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