Former Mo'West Town Councillor, Colleen Feeney, a vocal Pro-Barricader while in office, doesn't seem to like it when her Town Council does stuff behind closed doors now that she's on the other side. I don't know how this found it's way to my "in box" but I can't resist posting it. Enjoy...
Dear Fellow Montreal Wester,
I am writing this email as a concerned resident to clear up a lack of information and much misinformation I have heard recently around town surrounding the proposed Pharmaprix project on the northeast corner of Sherbrooke & Westminster.
Firstly, it was not a move initiated by Budning's Pharmacy. Secondly, and most importantly, IT IS NOT A DONE DEAL. Mayor Masella confirmed that explicitly in an interview on CBC Daybreak this morning.
Specifically, Council still has to approve:
1) a decreased number of parking spaces requested by Pharmaprix (Montreal West bylaw requires 19, Pharmaprix wants 11, industry standards are much higher)
2) a recommendation stemming from the Planning Advisory Committee (PAC) on the permit request.
There are many worrisome things about this project, and they include:
* the proposed SIZE of the building will exceed 20,000 sq. ft., over 10,000 sq. ft. on each of 2 floors. Its footprint is at least 3 times bigger than the largest store currently on the street, making it grossly out of context with respect to the streetscape.
* anticipated problems with TRAFFIC. This corner is the busiest, most congested area in town, made more treacherous by its proximity to the level crossing and large high school. People entering and exiting the parking lot will make the situation worse, particularly during peak hours, to say nothing of the effect of multiple daily deliveries
* anticipated problems with PARKING. Pharmacy staff, pharmacy clientele, medical clinic doctors, nurses, administrative staff and patients fighting for a mere 11 parking spots would easily result in spill-off onto Westminster and other streets. Merchants on Westminster have already complained that there is insufficient parking for their customers. This would only worsen under the proposal.
* its lack of coherence with the new URBAN PLAN Montreal West Council adopted in June 2009. The plan calls for encouraging projects which harmonize with the town's architectural heritage, initiating measures to beautify the town centre, ensuring adequate parking, restricting loading times for commercial vehicles, to name a few. The plan does seek to attract new investment and expand the tax base, but does that mean jumping at the first project, whatever it may be? Estimated additional revenue for the town for this project amounts to $80,000/year, or less than $50 per household.
* the town's Planning Advisory Committee (PAC), a body legally constituted to provide advice to Council on matters relating to the bylaws effecting building, unanimously opposed the project at its August meeting. Their recommendations were removed from the August public meeting, to be dealt with in a special council meeting.
*no attempt has been made by Council to get the pulse of residents on this major project. In fact, it has been handled in a most secretive way. This is not a small project. This is the largest development Montreal West has seen, sitting at the very entrance to our town, and yet neither the Town Planning Committee which developed the Urban Plan, nor the Traffic & Safety Committee were apprised of this plan, which only became public knowledge once the owner of the gas station started spreading the news in September! Discussions with Council were in the works months before that. Why this LACK OF TRANSPARENCY?
*the chair of the PAC was recently changed to Dino Mazzone, a councillor who had legal connections with Pharmaprix up until 2009. Is this a potential conflict of interest? CBC Daybreak host certainly felt this was a possibility in his line of questioning during an interview with the Mayor this morning.
If any of the above are an issue for you, I urge you to:
1) email our Mayor and members of Council - just a short line telling them of your concern. And if you feel like copying me on the response, please feel free to do so.
Their email addresses are:
Mayor Beny Masella- bmasella@montreal-west.ca
Councillor Dino Mazzone - dmazzone@montreal-west.ca
Councillor Joe McKenzie - jmckenzie@montreal-west.ca
Councillor Julie Tasker-Brown - atmjtasker-brown@montreal-west.ca
Councillor Elizabeth Ulin - eulin@montreal-west.ca
2) sign the petition in Budning's pharmacy
3) write letters to The Informer montrealwestinformer@gmail.com
4) attend the next Council meeting- Monday, October 25 at 8:00 p.m. at the Town Hall, 50 Westminster South ***
5) spread the word. Please feel free to forward this email to any residents you feel may be interested.
While Council is elected to make decisions on behalf of the residents, this is too big a project to do so in a vacuum. This is our main street and the entrance to our unique little town. They need to hear your voices. Time is of the essence. PLEASE ACT NOW!
Thanks!
Colleen Feeney
Long-time resident, Past Chair of the Committee for the Preservation of Montreal West, Former Montreal West Councillor, alternate member on the PAC
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