The official opposition at Montreal City Hall is concerned about the delays in developing the old racetrack grounds, abandoned since 2009.
The metropolis has owned the premises since 2017 and had undertaken to start transferring the plots within the following six years. So far, only one call for tenders – aimed at the community sector – has been concluded positively.
“Before, it was the horses that circled around the racetrack. Now it’s us, “said Alan DeSousa, mayor of the borough of Saint-Laurent, in English. “Six years later, the City has not articulated a plan,” he continued in French. The City must adopt a special urban plan to provide itself with tools. […] We need to know where the streets are going to be, where the squares are going to be, the parks, where the sewers are going to be. »
Mr. DeSousa’s political party, Ensemble Montréal, will present a motion to the next city council to encourage the Plante administration to speed up the pace. The text asks him to submit an urban plan by next September, in addition to quickly negotiating an agreement with Quebec and Ottawa to finance infrastructure.
“For the moment, the hippodrome file is clearly a failure,” added Sonny Moroz, city councilor for the area.
Valérie Plante’s cabinet did not immediately react.
