The demolition of a row of historic greystones at the gateway to Verdun has cost more than just architectural heritage: it also cost the federal government nearly $7.5 million.
Ten century-old houses on May St. and a building containing four condos on Rushbrooke are slated for the wreckling ball after being deemed to be in the way of a new planned approach to the upcoming Champlain Bridge replacement last September.
Some questioned whether the roadway could be built on nearby Butler St., which had ample empty space. However infrastructure located beneath that street made that approach impossible.
Quirky little May St. is considered one of the oldest streets in Verdun and is remarkable for its semi-isolated spot right up against a high wall, built in the 1960s below the highway approach to the bridge.
The owners were forced to sell their properties in a process that began last September.
According to figures obtained by La Presse newspaper, the 14 property owners were compensated a total of about $5.2 million in the expropriations.
The combined municipal evaluation of the 14 homes is about $3.4 million, which suggests that the owners were compensated by a formula of 1.5 times their municipal evaluations in exchange for their property. One resident told CTV Montreal that terms of sale prevented any revelation of details of the sale. The resident said, however, that owners were compensated based not on the municipal evaluation but by the estimated market value of the home.
The federal government also paid the owners a $2.2 million indemnity, which divided between the units would represent an average additional payment of over $150,000 per owner.
Only one resident is still living at the site and all must be out by July 1.
