By Joel Ceausu
The Suburban

A new housing project will be built on the site of a Côte des Neiges property that was demolished in 2021.

All residents of the housing co-operative at 4741-4751 Barclay were evacuated from the building in 2019 which was in such poor condition with mold and structural issues that it was condemned. CDN-NDG council last week approved a plan to build a three-storey building with 31 social housing units just east of Victoria.

The property belongs to the Société d’Habitation du Québec which mandated Montreal’s Office municipal d’habitation (OMHM) and the organization Groupe CDH to put the project in place. Former tenants of 4741 Barclay will have priority access to the new units and will all be contacted by the OMHM about six months before construction is completed, currently forecast for the end of 2026. The building will feature eight one-bedroom units, 14 two-bedrooms, and nine three-bedroom apartments.

Darlington councillor Stephanie Valenzuela was very pleased to see the item on the borrow agenda. “It’s good that it’s going to be 31 units of social housing, especially for the previous residents who now have a chance to return to the neighbourhood.”

In the old building, residents had complained about mould since 2012, Valenzuela told The Suburban, “and in 2019, they were evacuated due to structural issues. The story of this building should serve as a lesson to us all—when tenants raise concerns about conditions, we must take them seriously to avoid the tragic outcome of people being uprooted from their homes for years.”

Borough Mayor Gracia Kasoki Katahwa saluted the borough services, “as well as good collaboration with the OMHM… This is great news for a sector that is particularly affected by the housing crisis. Once these units are built, it will be the responsibility of OMHM to relocate the residents of the old destroyed building.” n