Joel Goldenberg – The Suburban LJI Reporter
Côte St. Luc council delayed for a second time, until June, a second draft bylaw to approve the Les Jardins Westminster residential-commercial 12-storey high end rental project at the corner of Westminster Avenue and Mackle Road.
The bylaw had been delayed from the April meeting to May. That decision followed a standing-room only public consultation meeting in which longtime residents of the area were largely against the project while being complimentary of the design, and potential residents were in favour.
At the April council meeting, Mayor Mitchell Brownstein had also pointed out that five councillors are in favour of the project and three are against.
“It’s really close,” the Mayor said at the time. “We have to have a chance to talk. What is the purpose of a consultation? It’s to hear the voices of the residents and then you go back to council and they listen, and then you go back and speak to the developers to consider if there needs to be any changes or if we’re happy with the situation as it is. We don’t want to move that fast.”
During the May meeting, via Zoom, a Blossom resident asked why there was a second delay and when there can be closure on the issue.
“The reason for the deferral is we’re waiting for staff to provide certain information, and requests from the developer to see if there’s modifications to improve the project,” Brownstein said. “Then we would be in a position where we could present that information to the public for their review.”
A petition and possible register and a possible referendum of area residents would come after the second draft bylaw is passed. n
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