Opposition remains against the Royalmount mall project in the Town of Mount Royal.
One concern for critics is of road congestion near the proposed site, which borders the intersection of Highway 15 and the 40.
The idea, which is a partnership between TMR and promoter Carbonleo, is being marketed as an urban space that would include hotels, office spaces, restaurants, concert halls, and other entertainment venues.
In a statement to La Presse, a spokesperson for the Minister Responsible for Montreal expressed worry about what traffic would look like on Decarie Blvd. if the mall gets the green light.
Neighbouring boroughs also have doubts, citing the environmental concerns that would come with potentially hundreds of additional cars being in the area.
“We would like to have seen something that would have gone more along the lines that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Saint-Laurent mayor Alan DeSousa.
NDG city councillor Peter McQueen said that the project was outdated and a relic from another era.
“This is a development from the 20th century you know, car culture,” he said. “It’s like something from the 1960s.”
For its part, Carbonleo has plans to build a pedestrian and cyclist tunnel that would connect patrons to the nearby De La Savane metro station.
DeSousa also questioned the reality of someone choosing to shop for luxury goods by trekking to De La Savane instead of buying them on Sainte-Catherine St.
“Who is going to take a shuttle service from the REM for two-and-a-half kilometres to get down to this place to buy their high-end goods,” he said.
There are also those who feel that small businesses could see their revenues go down.
“Maybe they’ll go to the mega mall instead and they wouldn’t want to come back,” Tony Sama of Dunn’s Famous on Decarie Blvd. said. “They’ll say, ‘Well, we’re already here [and we] might as well just eat here.’”
Despite the opposition, the developer has plans to complete Royalmount mall project by 2022.
