People who live and work in Montreal’s Chinatown and have been pushing to protect the neighbourhood say they’re relieved.
“We’ve been chatting among ourselves all morning and we’re all very happy with the recommendations in the OCPM report,” laughed May Chiu, Chinatown Roundtable co-coordinator.
Earlier this year the City of Montreal asked its consultation office (OCPM) to hold public hearings into a plan to put protections in place for the Chinatown sector, after residents fearing that future real estate projects threatened the neighbourhood, asked the city to intervene.
“What they’re doing is to make sure to preserve Chinatown the way it is,” explained OCPM president Isabelle Beaulieu.
The consultation office released its report Thursday.
They agree with proposed modifications of the urban plan and made 9 recommendations. Among them is “the city of Montreal study the possibility of further lowering the maximum heights and maximum densities permitted in the heart of Chinatown,” officials wrote in the report.
Also that the city considers the “expansion of the limits of the territory of the district and the enlargement of the area of the sector of exceptional heritage value.”
The change to the urban plan had already called for making Chinatown slightly bigger and capping building height to as low as 11 storeys.
However, during the consultation, residents said they want new buildings to be even lower.
“We are just asking the city to consider this option, especially on de la Gauchetière Street, to keep the height as it is at the moment,” Beaulieu told Global News.
Robert Beaudry, local city councillor and the executive committee member responsible for urban planning said the city says it is happy with the recommendations.
“We are also working to create a business association so there are other steps to do,” he said.
Chiu agrees.
“We also need to protect and preserve and promote the intangible aspects,” she pointed out, “which is made up of the kind of culture activities that we do in Chinatown. We need to make sure there’s space for all the different organizations.”
She believes the real work to revitalize Chinatown now begins.
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