Home owners on a section of Sainte-Dominique St. in the Plateau say they’re tired of their street being treated like a back alley.
“It is the back entrance to a lot of businesses on Saint-Laurent,” said property owner Amy Lillien. “That has over the years allowed it to become a sort of forgotten place.”
The properties face dumpsters that sometimes overflow and the street has seen an influx of rats, syringes in front yards, broken bottles, condoms and drug usage and dealing, according to Lillien.
After citizens and business owners made their case before the Plateau borough council in July, some progress was made, but the desire for a greener, calmer space is still present.
“It’s our hardest problem, because of the way the lots were drawn up in the 19th century,” said City Councillor Christine Gosselin, adding that part of the plan to tame the area includes beefing up police patrols in the area.
There are also plans to make improvements to the roads, but even that faces complications.
“In terms of road surfacing, we have to work with the central city because there’s probably major underground work that has to be done,” said Gosselin. “That’s the reason why the surface doesn’t stay nice.”
