The demolition committee for the Ville-Marie borough has refused permission to developers Brandon Shiller and Jeremy Kornbluth to tear down a six-storey apartment building at 3477 Drummond St. and replace it with a 12-storey building.

The project lacks social acceptability, said Ste-Marie councillor Sophie Mauzerolle, who chairs the borough’s urban planning consultative committee, noting that nearly 500 residents had signed a petition objecting to the project. The residents said the proposed building would block their views on Mount Royal, be an eyesore, aggravate the lack of parking on the street, and cause noise and pollution during construction.

Mauzerolle also noted that the existing building is in perfectly acceptable condition.

“We are ecstatic,” said Norma Ishayek, a resident of Drummond St. who organized opposition to the project with Larry Elman.

“It just shows what a concerted team effort can accomplish,” said Elman.

There is a 30-day appeal period for the decision.

Shiller and Kornbluth bought the 32-unit building for $11 million on Oct. 30, 2019, and immediately issued eviction notices, claiming they intended to subdivide the apartments. However, they later decided to demolish it and construct a 107-unit building. Eight of the tenants, who included many longtime residents, initially contested the eviction at the Tribunal administratif du logement, but all eventually consented to leave.

A spokesperson for the developers said Monday that if permission to demolish were refused, the owners would subdivide the dwellings instead.

Sources et article complet : https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/downtown-borough-rejects-demolition-of-drummond-st-building