Residents of Little Burgundy are concerned about the future of a crumbling landmark on Coursol, as news has emerged of a possible sale of the Negro Community Centre
Borough officials note in the event of a sale any future demolition or rebuild will be subject to a rigorous democratic process.
The property is zoned institutional so any transformation into housing or commercial units would require a zoning switch, which would be no slam dunk according to City Councillor Craig Sauve.
“We don't want to make it just condos because we have a lot of development of condos already in the borough. People in the community want to see it as something that will serve the community,” said Sauve who said he is open to anything from subsidized housing to a museum on the site.
One longtime resident said that the crumbling structure, built in the 1880s, brings back memories of when it was a bustling community resource until it closed in1989.
“The sentiment is sadness, people still want closure or at least want to know what can be done at this point,” said Michael Farkas of Youth In Motion.
Another local resident said that there’s an opportunity to revive the NCC.
“It's a wakeup call. It's time for us to really look at ourselves our legacy and the history we value so much,” said Keeton Clarke.
