''It is essential to save the valuable green spaces and wooded areas behind the Olympic village. The tremendous architecture of the building and its specific location are also elements that need to be preserved,” says André Lavalllée, Mayor of the Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie borough. Mr. Lavallée also stresses the exceptional value of the Olympic village which like any development project, requires examination based on criteria that are also exceptional.
The project had originally allowed more than 1800 units to be built. With the adoption of a new regulation, the project would be downscaled to more modest lodging.
A resolution was adopted at a meeting of the borough council which now gives the mandate to the urban planning department of the borough and to the City of Montreal to revisit the development project behind the Olympic village according to new parameters.
The municipal decision states that developers and promoters of the project must maintain the integrity of the wooded areas, maintain a free space of 50 meters wide between the pyramids and new construction, locate a green belt opposite the golf course as well as ensure conservation within the public area of the city, the golf course, and the municipal land located between Viau Street and the fir trees.
In addition, the borough’s council modified its urban planning regulation regarding the Plan d'implantation et d'intégration architecturale (PIIA) (Architectural Implementation and Integration Plan) which is aimed at developing additional location objectives and criteria for the Olympic village area and parts of land that surround it, between Viau Street to Assomption boulevard. These criteria form a contextual tool which fosters conservation and maximization of the natural green spaces, heritage buildings, and architecture already built there.
The City of Montreal establishes more restrictive criteria aimed at real estate promoters behind the Olympic pyramid
