Zoning changes for Montreal’s Chinatown to be discussed at public hearings in June

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People wanting to express their views on the future of Chinatown have until June 2 to register to do so.

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The Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OWHC) will hold hearings June 8 and 9 on proposed zoning changes intended to protect the heritage district from unbridled development.

But citizens’ groups in Chinatown say they need more time to study the changes and gather input from the community.

“As of tonight, we have only two weeks to make written submissions,” May Chiu, a member of Progressive Chinese of Quebec, said Wednesday evening at an information session at the Holiday Inn on St-Urbain St.

Zoning changes are complex and challenging for the average person to understand, said Chiu, a lawyer and former director of the Chinese Family Service of Greater Montreal.

“Is there any way to extend the deadline?” she asked.

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The proposed changes to Montreal’s urban plan would lower maximum building heights in parts of Chinatown from the current 65 meters (about 20 storeys) to 25 meters (about eight storeys).

In other parts, height limits would be reduced to 35 meters (about 11 storeys) or 45 meters (about 14 storeys).

The previous zoning, which allowed the construction of 20-storey towers in a district dominated by three-storey heritage buildings, encouraged real estate speculation and neglect, the city noted in documents on the OWHC’s website.

Speakers at Wednesday’s meeting also noted that some Chinatown residents do not understand French and asked whether information could be translated into Mandarin or Cantonese.

Officials from the city of Montreal and the OWHC said they would take the requests under advisement and respond later.

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OCPM commissioner Danielle Sauvage asked why the proposed revisions allowed buildings of eight storeys or more, which is more than twice as high as most of the existing buildings.

“It doesn’t seem in keeping with what already exists in Chinatown,” she said. “Have you considered lowering it below 25 (metres)?”

Caroline Lépine, head of the city’s urban planning division, said buildings that cover the entirety of their sites would be fewer than eight storeys.

“We tried to go as low as we could while keeping a certain room to manoeuvre,” she said.

Jessica Chen, a city planning professional and member of the Chinatown Working Group, said the proposed changes are an improvement.

However, “25 to 35 meters is still pretty aggressive for the core of Chinatown, particularly along de la Gauchetière,” she said.

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The question is whether the city will provide other tools to ensure that new construction is harmonized with the scale of the existing buildings, Chen said.

Mayor Valérie Plante announced the proposed zoning changes on Jan. 24, after defenders of Chinatown sounded an alarm about the future of the heritage district, threatened by real estate development. City council implemented an interim measure until the permanent revisions to the urban plan come into force.

At the same January press conference, Quebec Culture Minister Nathalie Roy announced her attempt to classify the block bounded by de la Gauchetière, St-Urbain and Côté Sts. and Viger Ave. as a heritage site.

In particular, she singled out the former British and Canadian School (now Wing’s Noodles) at 1009 Côté St., built in 1827, and the former Davis tobacco factory at 987-991 Côté St., built in 1884 and incorporating part of the 1848 Free Presbyterian Church.

the OWHC consultations will be held June 8 at 7 pm and June 9 at 1 pm at the Holiday Inn Centreville, 999 St-Urbain St. To take part, you must register by June 2 at 4 pm by calling 514-872-8510. Written briefs must be submitted by the same deadline by visiting ocpm.qc.ca/fr/quartierchinois/inscriptions.

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