Homeowners in the Rosemont neighborhood of Montreal successfully killed an affordable housing project that was supposed to add 50 condos on an empty lot. This is happening despite the housing crisis that the city is facing.
The proposal looked like this.
But the local homeowners opposed it.
They feared losing a sunny view and precious parking spots for their cars.
“Our entire neighborhood is only 3-storey buildings or smaller” says Hugo Didier, the leader of the local anti-housing movement. “We do not want tall buildings here. It is just too inconvenient” he said.
Local city council members in Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie initially supported the project. « We are facing a major housing crisis, we need to do more » said mayor Francois Limoges. What they didn’t expect was the opposition.
158 individuals signed a petition against the new project, demanding a neighborhood referendum. At least 200 people showed up at a public hearing. Under pressure, the council shut down the entire project.
Real estate developer Félix Péladeau-Langevin was behind the proposal. He planned to build 50 new condos. « The location is good. It’s close to public transit and to a bike lane. I didn’t plan to add any parking spot » he told us.
Péladeau said he was disappointed by the opposition from local homeowners. “They went door to door. They convinced everyone to put their name and signature against the proposal, demanding a referendum”
Protest leader Hugo Didier says he reached out to the developer and offered a compromise. Just build a small building.
« I look at the cost of the land and the cost of construction. If they don’t want a multi-storey building, it’s just not worth it » Péladeau said.
Look, as much as I think people should be taking transit and bikes as much as possible, for the developer not to provide a single parking lot for a building that size is silly.
Edit: I meant to say “single parking spot” not lot.
Is that sillier than forcing people who are not interested in owning a car to get a place with parking spots anyway? Because that’s where we are today. It is hard to find a building like this, and I’d love it.
So don’t rent that specific condo if you have a car. It is supposed to be an affordable development and cars are expensive. Many people who need affordable housing the most don’t own a car and the land close to transit and bike lanes should be prioritized for them instead of cars.
Parking is tough in Montreal. If you’re building a condo, you should provide room on the property for parking for the residents.
That’s not how to urbanize in Montréal in 2025 . As the article says it’s in an area where you have public transport, bike lanes and everything is accessible within walking distance. It’s the people that want to have a car and also live in a densely populated area that take up too much space.