MONTREAL -- The ambiguous future of the NDG YMCA may be getting a little bit clearer.
The City of Montreal has made an offer to purchase a piece of land next to the facility. Cote-des-Neiges-NDG Mayor Sue Montgomery said her hope is to build affordable or social housing and green space on the lot but that the purchase of the land comes with a stipulation.
“I wanted to make sure that if we buy this land, they were going to make a commitment to stay and I did get that commitment,” she said.
The NDG YMCA has been open since 1940 but has been closed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March. Residents say it's more than a gym – it's a community hub.
“The Y is the history of NDG,” said member Linda Solomon. “It was always an integral part of this community.”
Solomon started a petition to save the Y from closing and said she's happy to hear the city made an offer. But she said she'd wait to hear more from Y management before getting excited.
“We need... an unequovical yes,” she said.
In a statement, Y management said “this transaction with the city will allow us to maintain our social impact in this neighbourhood... where we have been active for nearly a century.”
The organization said an announcement should be made in the coming weeks but that because they and the city are still negotiating, the amount offered cannot be disclosed.
