Block of 92 housing units in René-Lévesque: the opposition is getting organized
Citizens officially oppose the 92 housing project that could develop on René-Lévesque Boulevard.
Share November 5, 2020 10:06 p.m. Share Block of 92 housing units in René-Lévesque: the opposition is getting organized
Tommy Brochu La Tribune The citizens of the René-Lévesque Boulevard sector are getting organized: they do not want to see a block of 92 housing units erected just in front of the elementary school. They therefore submitted a petition of 138 names to the registrars of the City of Sherbrooke, who could officially express their disagreement until Thursday.
A resident of the area, Sylvain Houde, participated in the drafting of this six-page document, which La Tribune obtained a copy. He is delighted that he and his team have managed to accumulate so many signatures. “We thought we had around 20,” says the resident of the area. Almost everyone got on board, I find that very interesting. “
For what follows, Mr. Houde will await news from the City on whether it will call a referendum on the subject. “We are very confident if we go to a referendum”, assures Mr. Houde, however deploring the narrowness of the referendum zone.
Ideally for citizens, what would be built in front of the school? “Ideally there would be nothing! launches the citizen. But all along the boulevard, three-storey buildings are being built. It would be a continuation of that, ”describes the man who has been complaining about the potential construction of a service station for a year now.
And between a 92-unit building and a gas station, what would be the lesser evil? “The gas station would be less worse,” replies Mr. Houde. But I find that there are other solutions even less worse. He can build a building with 12 units or a building with commercial premises on the ground floor. But from there to go up from four to seven floors, it is exaggerated, says the one who is afraid of seeing the service station vacant for two years like the one located in the Mont-Bellevue sector.
Sylvion Houde also pleads the loss of enjoyment if a six-storey building is built on this boulevard. “What I understand is that the City has agreements with the contractors around. They want to maximize the investment of the boulevard. We lose value, we lose privacy to build a boulevard and the owner of the land has the right to make the maximum amount of cash. I just find it boring, ”he laments.
The citizen concedes, however, that it is normal for the City to want a return on the investment of the extension of René-Lévesque Boulevard. “It's normal, but there should be a certain limit to wanting to get money. You are not going to look for money at the expense of others. It has to be fair play, ”he argues.
In the document submitted to the registry offices, the citizens mentioned that “an already important traffic issue” would be accentuated by the establishment of a seven-storey building, among other things. This traffic could, according to them, increase the risk of accidents involving young pedestrians.
Currently, the City's zoning allows the construction of a gas station or a building with three floors.
For her part, the municipal councilor of the sector, Annie Godbout, had not yet taken note of the document when joined by La Tribune . She therefore declined to comment for the moment.
