A Quebec Superior Court judge on Wednesday upheld the city council of Pointe-Claire's decision to allow for the demolition of the venerable Pioneer Bar in Pointe-Claire Village.
The judgement clears the way for the construction of a mixed-use commercial and residential development project on Lakeshore Rd. in the heart of the Village.
Two citizen's groups had legally contested the demolition order that would raze the 120-year-old building. The Pioneer Bar, the building's final tenant, closed in July of last year.
Pointe-Claire Mayor John Belvedere was pleased that the development project can now go ahead, saying it is in line with the city's plan adopted in 2016 to revitalize Pointe-Claire Village.
"“It is important for us to make sure collective interests are protected; and this is what we have done, with complete transparency and respect for those involved, whether they are in favour of the project or not,” Belvedere said in a statement.
Representatives of the citizen's groups involved in contesting the demolition order said they were disappointed in the ruling and worried about what its impact will be on the future of Pointe-Claire Village.
"“This decision could have an even more negative impact on the future of Pointe-Claire Village," Michael Forest, head of the Société pour la Sauvegarde du Patrimoine de Pointe-Claire, said in a statement. "On the one hand, because it will allow the destruction of an important witness to the history of Pointe-Claire.
"And on the other, because it will allow the introduction into the heart of the village of a condominium building complex that will quickly become a precedent, opening the door to the construction of several similar buildings.”
