POINTE-CLAIRE – Local issues were a hot topic during the recent municipal elections, including a dilapidated area of Pointe-Claire that is in desperate need of an update.
The issue has caught the attention of newly elected mayor, Morris Trudeau, but so far he’s only proposing short-term solutions.
One Pointe-Claire resident, Roz Gilbert, owns a clothing store on Donegani avenue.
Gilbert knows all about the retail business – it’s the store’s thirtieth anniversary – but he says the future of his business may soon be tied more to what’s happening outside its walls than inside.
“It doesn’t look very nice,” he said, looking at the facade of his store, a rundown, boarded up, abandoned building.
The structure sits right off the exit of Sources Boulevard.
It’s the neighbouring building to Gilbert’s shop.
“Oh definitely knock it down,” he said.
“It’s a sore eye. It’s a sore eye when you come around the area.”
Pointe-Claire’s incoming mayor says he hears the message loud and clear.
Trudeau admits the city has done nothing about the building that used to house dozens of small shops.
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Now, he’s looking to take action.
“We’d love that building to be demolished tomorrow,” he said.
Trudeau says the owner is paying taxes on the structure so the city can’t order bulldozers to move in, but the idea of planting a row of trees, hedges or finding another aesthetically pleasing solution are all options on the table.
“For sure if there were nice trees around the property that would look a lot better,” he agreed.
Planting trees or hedges along the periphery of the building is one thing for the short term, but in the long term what people would really like to see is someone come along with deep pockets, buying this building and convert it into an attractive commercial district.
“We drive by it everyday and it’s pretty sad,” said Jackie Lecompte, who runs a florist shop on the same street.
She also wants Pointe-Claire’s newly elected officials to find a long term solution to the closed up structure.
“Another little shopping centre with a grocery store,” she suggested.
“An anchor that would pull people into the village.”
The structure is one of the first things people see as they enter the Valois Village from Donegani avenue.
The building and property are assessed at 1.6 million dollars.
Some are hoping the owner will sell it once Transport Quebec rebuilds the Sources Boulevard overpass, but that construction project isn’t even on the government’s books.
For now, the best bet for people living and working in this area is to continue putting pressure on the new council to turn this eye sore into eye candy.
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