Revision of the Urban Plan of the City of Montréal: the New Plan is Generally Well Received, But There Are Concerns About Its Implementation

Montréal, October 12, 2004 – The Office de consultation publique de Montréal makes public today its report on the city's new Urban Plan. The commission responsible for reviewing the project was composed of commissioners Jean Paré, acting as chair, Catherine Chauvin and André Beauchamp.

The public consultation meetings, held between May 17 and June 29 last, attracted over 1,000 participants, and allowed more than 200 of them to share their opinions, expectations and comments with the commission.

The new Urban Plan was well received by citizens and group and association representatives, who saw it as a comprehensive, well-researched and high-quality document. However, a number of them expressed concerns about its implementation.

In fact, the Plan is founded in many respects on policies and strategies that are under development. The citizens would like to know what the final orientations of these policies will be, and what means will be established to implement them. They want resources to be allocated in such a way as to ensure that the policies' implementation is consistent with the objectives of the Urban Plan.

One of the first issues raised by participants was that of passenger and goods transportation. The Plan's orientation favouring public transportation was very well received, and residents asked that specific objectives be established to reduce automobile use in the city. They would also like interventions on the arterial system to be conducted in a manner that takes into account the quality of life of surrounding neighbourhoods. Many spoke about housing. The need to increase social housing availability, especially for lowand modest-income families, was brought up repeatedly. A number of participants also underscored the importance of implementing preservation measures for the existing housing stock.

The subject of natural and built heritage enhancement generated a great deal of interest. The citizens recognize and value heritage areas and buildings, and believe that existing protection measures are inadequate. For example, they would like to see an unambiguous commitment to preserving sites of ecological interest within ecoterritories. On the issue of green spaces, many requested that the vocation of open spaces accessible to the public be confirmed, to avoid having park territory gradually taken over by other uses. Another frequently raised question was that of the territorial jurisdiction of the Plan. In fact, a large number of participants believe that some provisions should apply to the existing City of Montréal as a whole, such as those relating to natural environments, detailed planning sectors, and the complementary document.

The commission has drawn up a number of recommendations based on the consultations and other information of which it has been apprised. The first deals with the importance that should be accorded to social housing and with the necessity of incorporating this type of housing into the urban fabric, in order to avoid the ghettoization of low-income households. Universal access to public buildings and areas, particularly for individuals with functional limitations, is also among the commission's concerns and the subjects of its recommendations. Efforts should be made to develop accessible housing instead of adding access for people with reduced mobility as an afterthought.

Lastly, the commission believes that offensive uses and housing don't mix. More specifically, the commission recommends that residential land use designations be disallowed for sites neighbouring railway yards, tracks that carry freight trains, major corridor roads, industrial zones, and areas under the noise footprint of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. In conclusion, the commission found that participants expressed their feelings of attachment for Montréal, and that they hope that the Plan will be successfully implemented. In that respect, they place a great deal of importance on the annual update that the city has committed itself to producing. The commission shares that view, and believes that the update should be based on specific indicators reflecting the Plan's objectives and implementation timetable, and the resources allocated to it.

The Office de consultation publique de Montréal is an organization whose mission is to hold public meetings on the territory of the City of Montréal, on projects assigned by the City Council or Executive Committee. The Office has developed credible, transparent, and effective consultation mechanisms and, upon their completion, produces a report on the opinions expressed by consultation participants, as well as its own recommendations.

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Jean-François Viau
President of the OCPM
Tel.: (514) 872-3568
Cell.: (514) 886-1515