Several dozen Montrealers opposed to the upcoming Royalmount megamall met on Saturday to brainstorm ideas that they say could make the project less of an irritation to the neighbourhood.
Among the suggestions were for the project to have more green space, affordable housing units and public transit options.
Since it was first announced in 2015, the megamall project has faced objections from community groups and the City of Montreal itself over issues such as increased traffic in the area and detrimental effects on the environment. In May a working group proposed 13 recommendations to help alleviate traffic issues. Developer Carbonleo has questioned some of the findings showing the mall complex would cause traffic delays of up to half an hour but management has said they’re open to changes.
Among changes that have already been announced are the addition of 6,000 homes, more residential underground parking and a pedestrian bridge linking the development to de la Savane metro.
Alix Ruhlmann of citizens group Collectif Notre 15/40 said they are hopeful that Carbonleo will make further alterations to their plan.
“We know we’ve already see that Carbonleo has felt the pressure and tried to change the project,” she said. “We haven’t been able to really see the new project but we are seeing that we can have an impact on what they’re proposing.”
Carbonleo is scheduled to unveil updated plans for Royalmount in the fall after public consultations finish in coming weeks. The first phase of work is expected to be completed by 2022.
