A proposal will soon be coming to City Council from our Planning Advisory Committee in regard to a rezoning request for the office building at 5757 Cavendish, corner of Kildare.

The request is to allow for a restaurant and retail commerce.   Retail could include arts and crafts boutiques, a book store, antique shop, art gallery, artists or craftmen's workshops or studios, decoration shops, union or political party offices, photo studio, retail postal outlet, convenience type stores (tobacco shop or new stand), food market, natural foods, pastry shop, caterer, bakery, deli, fruit store or an interior  fruit and vegetable market and a pharmacy. I am opposed to the latter, given the fact we have one of the best pharmacies in the city across the street in pharmarcy.

A rendering of what the café would look like. It would be better placed facing Cavendish.

From the owners of the building are telling the city right now,  for the restaurant they wish to introduce a health café  which would offer salads, poke bowls, quality sandwiches and coffee and include a seasonal outdoor terrasse. This is something I would  100 percent support.

The owners wish to add the pharmacy to complement  the medical facilities in the building.

For years, 5757 has been home to an RBC bank and for some time Police Station 9 was based there. While there is parking in the rear, this is not a large lot so we need to keep that in mind when making a final decision on this propos

A longer view of a proposed improved facade.

It is unlikely that most of the retail categories mentioned above will surface in this building. However, I would like to see a fruit store.

This dossier is now in the hands of our Urban Planning Department. Before any approval takes place, there will be a public consultation.

Un café avec terrasse et commerce de détail est-il prévu à Cavendish et Kildare?

Notre Comité consultatif d'urbanisme soumettra bientôt au Conseil municipal une proposition concernant une demande de rezonage pour l'immeuble de bureaux situé au 5757 Cavendish, à l'angle de Kildare.

La demande vise à autoriser l'ouverture d'un restaurant et d'un commerce de détail. Le commerce de détail pourrait inclure des boutiques d'art et d'artisanat, une librairie, un magasin d'antiquités, une galerie d'art, des ateliers ou studios d'artistes ou d'artisans, des magasins de décoration, des bureaux de syndicats ou de partis politiques, un studio de photographie, un comptoir postal de détail, des magasins de type commodité (bureau de tabac ou nouveau stand), un marché alimentaire, des aliments naturels, une pâtisserie, un traiteur, une boulangerie, une charcuterie, un magasin de fruits ou un marché intérieur de fruits et légumes, et une pharmacie. Je suis opposé à cette dernière, étant donné que nous avons l'une des meilleures pharmacies de la ville de l'autre côté de la rue, à Pharmaprix.
 

D'après ce que les propriétaires du bâtiment disent à la ville en ce moment, ils souhaitent introduire pour le restaurant un café santé qui offrirait des salades, des poke bowls, des sandwichs de qualité et du café et qui comprendrait une terrasse extérieure saisonnière. C'est un projet que je soutiendrais à 100 %.

Les propriétaires souhaitent ajouter une pharmacie pour compléter les installations médicales du bâtiment.

Pendant des années, le 5757 a abrité une banque RBC et, pendant un certain temps, le commissariat de police 9 y a été installé. Bien qu'il y ait un parking à l'arrière, il ne s'agit pas d'un grand terrain et nous devons garder cela à l'esprit lorsque nous prendrons une décision finale sur cette proposition.

Il est peu probable que la plupart des catégories de commerces mentionnées ci-dessus se retrouvent dans ce bâtiment. Cependant, j'aimerais y voir un magasin de fruits.

Ce dossier est maintenant entre les mains de notre service d'urbanisme. Avant toute approbation, il y aura une consultation publique.

Traduit avec www.DeepL.com/Translator

In a dramatic announcement Groupe Grandio will revive the iconic Moishes Restaurant with a brand new building at Meadowbrook Golf Course in Côte Saint-Luc.

Groupe Grandio, headed by Jean Bedard, owns Le Cage Brasserie Sportive chain. Then known as Groupe Sportscene, Groupe Grandio  purchased Moishes  on St. Laurent Blvd. from the Lighter family in December of 2018. Two years later Moishes shut its doors at the start of the pandemic as the building and parking lot were sold. Original plans called for Moishes to resurface in a downtown location.

The new Moishes.

Last summer Bedard joined friends for a game of golf at Meadowbrook. He had never been there before. When he saw all of the available parking spaces and the large clubhouse space that has not been abandoned for years, the light bulb went off in his head.

Since zoning is already in place for a commercial building, Bedard’s team will be submitting architectural plans to the city imminently so renovations can commence and the revived Moishes can be back in business by the fall.

Mayor Mitchell Brownstein met with Bedard and pledged to have the portion of Côte St. Luc Road closest to Meadowbrook completely repaved. “Who has not loved Moishes Restaurant?” Brownstein asked. “I have so many fabulous memories from family dinners there. What a  dream it is to bring this famous institution to our community.”

Bedard said that during golf season, Moishes will be open for lunch with a more modest menu. He said discussions with Meadowbrook Groupe Pacifique, owners of the course, went very well. In fact, he is not dismissing the possibility of Groupe Grandio purchasing the entire Meadowbrook property.

“I must admit,” said Bedard, “one of my bucket list items has always been to have my own golf course. I see this becoming a Golf and Country Club.”

Bedard is extremely well connected. He is already talking to the Montreal Canadiens to hold their charity golf tournament there.

With new owners, a new location, and new clientele, what  will make the new Moishes Moishes?

“What we're trying to do is to keep the iconic items of Moishes there,”  Bedard said. “I think that we’re keeping the DNA of the past, but we’re bringing Moishes into the future which is a very delicate operation.

The menu will evolve too, he told CTV. “The winners will stay there,” he said. “You know, the pickles, the famous coleslaw, the steaks, obviously, but I think we can go a little bit further, maybe in terms of a fish” option, he said. “People are eating very differently.”

Oh yes, while this would be an absolutely remarkable development, it is appearing on this blog on April 1. So April Fool’s Day to all!

AND  I have it on good authority that a formal announcement of a new Moishes location will be announced soon. 

The Equinoxe Marc Chagall (https://collectionequinoxe.com/en/marc-chagall/),  marketed as refined rental condos, opened its first  of two phases in the summer of 2018.  As the five year anniversary approaches, the facility is full to capacity yet still seemingly experiencing some growing pains.

In my 17 years as the city councillor  for District 2, this building has kept me very busy.  I am pleased to say that the administration has always worked closely with me on issues of concern, never dodging my calls. In addition, some of the residents there remain in very frequent touch with me.

Over the past few weeks I was made aware of a problem with the hot water at the Equinoxe. On many days, it simply does not work.

On March 23 I responded to a request from some residents to meet virtually. As I have said before, this is probably one of the few positive things  the COVID-19 pandemic has brought us. Organizing last minute meetings via Zoom is quite productive and I do so with my constituents often.  In the case of the Equinoxe tenants, they appear very well organized. There were more than 70 units represented, some of whom shared the computer screen with neighbours so as many as 140 people.

Besides the hot water, tenants shared some other concerns which I have relayed to the building administration.  According to them, there is a need to permanently repair or replace the three boilers and they hope to have this resolved very soon. I told the tenants I am always there to listen and advocate for them.

One thing does come across clear whenever I visit the building; tenants like the atmosphere. “We are one big family,” tenant leader Stephen Wise said. “Friendships have been built. We got through COVID together and want the problems that exist to all be resolved.”

Tenant Alisa Clamen, a lawyer by profession, and Wise, a long time tenant have indicated plans to advise tenants and the building of possible actions involving the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL) immediately. 

I will remain closely in touch with the administration and the tenants on this issue.

L'Equinoxe Marc Chagall, commercialisé en tant que condos locatifs raffinés, a ouvert la première de ses deux phases à l'été 2018.  À l'approche de son cinquième anniversaire, l'établissement est plein à craquer, mais semble encore éprouver quelques difficultés de croissance.

Au cours de mes 17 années en tant que conseiller municipal du district 2, ce bâtiment m'a beaucoup occupé.  Je suis heureux de dire que l'administration a toujours travaillé en étroite collaboration avec moi sur les questions qui me préoccupent, sans jamais esquiver mes appels. En outre, certains des résidents de l'immeuble restent en contact très fréquent avec moi.

Ces dernières semaines, j'ai été informée d'un problème d'eau chaude à l'Equinoxe. Certains jours, elle ne fonctionne tout simplement pas.

Le 23 mars, j'ai répondu à la demande de certains résidents de se rencontrer virtuellement. Comme je l'ai déjà dit, c'est probablement l'un des rares points positifs que la pandémie de COVID-19 nous a apportés. Organiser des réunions de dernière minute via Zoom est très productif et je le fais souvent avec mes électeurs.  Dans le cas des locataires d'Equinoxe, ils semblent très bien organisés. Plus de 70 logements étaient représentés, certains partageant l'écran d'ordinateur avec des voisins, soit jusqu'à 140 personnes.

Outre l'eau chaude, les locataires ont fait part d'autres préoccupations que j'ai transmises à l'administration de l'immeuble.  Selon eux, il est nécessaire de réparer ou de remplacer définitivement les trois chaudières et ils espèrent que ce problème sera résolu très bientôt. J'ai dit aux locataires que j'étais toujours là pour les écouter et les défendre.

Une chose est claire à chaque fois que je visite le bâtiment : les locataires apprécient l'atmosphère qui y règne. "Nous formons une grande famille", a déclaré Stephen Wise, chef de file des locataires. "Des amitiés se sont créées. Nous avons traversé COVID ensemble et nous voulons que les problèmes existants soient résolus.

La locataire Alisa Clamen, avocate de profession, et M. Wise, locataire de longue date, ont fait part de leur intention d'informer les locataires et l'immeuble des actions possibles impliquant immédiatement le Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL).

Je resterai en contact étroit avec l'administration et les locataires sur cette question.

Traduit avec www.DeepL.com/Translator  

I wish to advise my constituents in District 2 (particularly those living closer to Quartier Cavendish) and citizens at large to  invite you to a virtual information session on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, at 7pm that will focus on the redevelopment of the three shopping malls in Côte Saint-Luc. This is part of our months-long public consultations on the master plan and zoning by-law revision.

And

Sunday September 18^th you are invited to the in-person open house at the Aquatic and Community Centre 5794 Parkhaven from 10 am to 4 pm

The information session takes place over Zoom. You must register in advance:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_EDj87RysQqaAn8OtVvqz0w

Please note : You will receive a zoom invitation from Lauren Vantellingen [email protected]

Your participation and questions at the information session and open house are always appreciated.

Looking forward to meeting with you

Révision du plan d’urbanisme et du règlement de zonage

Chers résidants du District 2 et CSL

Je vous écris pour vous inviter à une séance d'information virtuelle le mardi 13 septembre 2022 à 19 h qui portera sur le réaménagement des trois centres commerciaux de Côte Saint-Luc. Cela fait partie de nos consultations publiques sur le plan d’urbanisme et la révision du règlement de zonage.

De plus le dimanche le 18 Septembre vous êtes invités à participer à une journée portes ouvertes de 10 h a 16 h au Centre communautaire et aquatique 5794 Parkhaven

La séance d'information se déroule sur Zoom. Vous devez vous inscrire au préalable :

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_EDj87RysQqaAn8OtVvqz0w

Veuillez noter : Vous recevrez votre invitation zoom de la part de Lauren Vantellingen [email protected]

Votre participation et vos questions sont toujours appréciées.

Au plaisir de vous voir bientôt

In recent days I have received several calls from people asking about a small notice that was placed at the corner of Marc Chagall Avenue and Kildare Road. It is from our Urban Planning Department and explains that the city has received an application from a developer to build a seven floor, 28 unit apartment complex on the site at that spot near Beth Chabad CSL and Bialik High School.

This land is presently zoned for a two storey commercial building.  A zoning amendment approved by Council and then taken to local residents for consultation would be required.

The zoning for a two storey commercial building is for behind the fence.

Our Planning Advisory Committee has reviewed the proposal and will make a recommendation to city council, likely by August. I will keep everyone up to date. We are merely following process by sharing the developer's wishes.

I had invited the developer to have an information meeting with residents first, but he favored going  directly to Urban Planning.

Ces derniers jours, j'ai reçu plusieurs appels de personnes s'interrogeant sur un petit avis placé à l'angle de l'avenue Marc Chagall et de Kildare Road. Il provient de notre service d'urbanisme et explique que la ville a reçu une demande d'un promoteur pour construire un complexe d'appartements de sept étages et de 28 unités sur le site à cet endroit, près du Beth Chabad CSL et  Bialik.

Ce terrain est actuellement zoné pour un bâtiment commercial de deux étages.  Une modification du zonage approuvée par le Conseil et soumise ensuite à la consultation des résidents locaux serait nécessaire.

Notre comité consultatif d'urbanisme a examiné la proposition et fera une recommandation au conseil municipal, probablement d'ici le mois d'août. Je tiendrai tout le monde au courant. Nous ne faisons que suivre le processus en partageant les souhaits du promoteur.

Over the last few weeks many people have asked me why I voted in favor of the first reading of the rezoning of land on Mackle Road to house a new synagogue and community centre under the auspices of the Fondation Sepharade Kollel Avrechim.

What the proposed building would look like.

First off, please pay attention to the words “first reading.”  For many years the Fondation Sepharade Kollel Avrechim has been operating out of a duplex on Parkhaven Avenue. I equate their beginnings to Beth Chabad CSL, which operated from the old Eaton’s at the Cavendish Mall and in the CSL Shopping Centre until they constructed a beautiful facility on Kildare Road and Marc Chagall. The Fondation Sepharade Kollel Avrechim deserves something better than a duplex.

Initially they bought land on Mackle Road right next to the CLSC René Cassin for what was to be a very modest-sized building. Neighbours opposed the project, signed a register and council stopped any potential development. We did identify land across from Maimonides Hospital, which was not near any homes and honestly we expected them to come back to us with the same sized structure. Instead, what materialized was something more than triple the size.

When I spoke to their leaders just a few years ago I asked them if they would give up their Parkhaven duplex once the new building opened and the response was affirmative. Now we learn that they intend to keep it. Parkhaven is not my district so that really is for the local councillor to work on.

Why did I vote in favor of the first reading? I felt it was important for this project to go to public consultation and due to the pandemic and the coverage of this dossier in The Suburban I knew we would have a strong presence online. Some 200 people ended up tuning in and voicing their comments. The response continued on local Facebook pages.

Had we voted this project down, then there would have been no opportunity to hear what the public had to say. I truly hope that the commentary we heard at the public consultation resonated with the congregation. Please make note. I support them. They do excellent work in the community and we are lucky to have them in our midst. To their credit they have approached some local synagogues whom many believe have room in their buildings to cohabitate, but they had no luck. Can the city play a role in mediating? That would certainly be a lot simpler than constructing a building from scratch.

City Council will convene for our next vote on April 12. In my opinion the Fondation Sepharade Kollel Avrechim should adhere to many of the valid concerns raised at the consultation regarding parking and drop off.  Their proposal needs to be revised to take these points into consideration.

I must add that I am troubled by the combative nature of some of our residents who have tried to make this an anti-synagogue issue. Côte Saint-Luc has one of the largest Jewish communities per capita in the world next to Israel and New York. We must all learn to live together as friends and partners.

I am glad we got such a strong response. The consultation, I believe, can create a “win win” situation for everyone involved. Indeed it is clear that the proposal presently before us by Fondation Sepharade Kollel Avrechim is not feasible nor safe. The ball is in their court to come back to us, either before April 12 or if the vote does not pass. But to all citizen of Côte Saint-Luc, if all of the factors due line up in a revised plan then we all need to keep an open mind.

On the eve of Passover, let us all be one strong community. Melodie Cohn, who was my opponent in the last election and has since become a friend and an important voice in District 2, has created a hashtag of #CSLStrong and she adds how we should all celebrate the fact we have so many rich cultures in our community,

The new owners of 6700 The Avenue have lived up to all of their promises to bring their building up to proper standards.

The front of the building.

Our Urban Development Department confirms that a contractor has completed all the requested items on a list of deficiencies. The contractor installed the new asphalt for the driveway and walkway that leads to and from Park Place on  October 1. A fence was installed a day later on the walkway. The only item remaining is  to replace a damaged streetlight. This item will take time because a request was demanded from Hydro for a connection, and this   usually takes a minimum of four weeks to process and answer.

The fully restored greenspace.

Last spring the rear parking lot  was paved and the fencing against the Park Place residential backyards was repaired. There was also important work done at the front entrance  and just a few weeks ago the large patch of land which had been used to house construction material was turned back into beautiful greenspace.

The new fence and paved pathway.

Part of the main floor of the building is zoned commercial. At the present time the owners have  no potential new tenants. However, work will begin soon on at least two new residential units.

The five floor  building has an indoor pool and workout room,  ceramic floors and custom kitchens with Quartz countertops and stainless kitchen appliances (with dishwashers). Security cameras are on every floor and exterior. Central A/C, heating and hot water are included.

Thank you Melissa Latifi, Emile Badea and your town for all the excellent work on this project. A shout out as well to the original developer Ron Basel. From the city, Charles Senekal, Jeff Davey, Beatrice Newman and Dalia Mohamed and company steered this ship wonderfully!

As the second and thankfully final tower of the Equinoxe on Marc Chagall Avenue nears completition,  Hydro Quebec is now installing the new power grid. To do so power had to be stopped in the main facility, therefore necessitating the use of the dreaded generator.

In the winter of 2019 the generator was on incessantly as the main building did not have sufficient power. This was horrible , not only keeping some of its own residents up at night but people living at the Rothchild I.  Soon after that was resolved, more bad noise began emanating from the ventilation system. That took months to resolve.

The generator is only supposed to be used in the case of a power interruption. But as of this writing residents of both the Equinoxe and the Rothchild I have had to endure two sleepless nights. It is simply not acceptable. The generator is in bad place physically and once again this unfortunate experience has renewed a call for it to be relocated.

There was good news for residents of Marc Chagall Avenue when I hosted several dozen of them for a Zoom meeting to report on what amounts to be the final few months of the Equinoxe project. Apartment units will be delivered to renters as of December 1. A good part of the construction will conclude at the end of October,  meaning that the temporary parking lot across from the Marquise will be turned back into greenspace.

For the past three and a half years we have all been very preoccupied with construction work for the two towers of The Equinoxe. Just a reminder to al: the zoning for this land was established more than 30 years ago by a former city council. It took many years for a developer to come forward. When Jadco and Trantor  did so, city council had lowered the maximum amount of storeys permitted from 17 to 14.

From the moment this project was announced I established a committee of representatives from each condo to meet with ownership a number of times per year and to communicate by email to deal with ongoing issues and get updates.

From the start of construction we imposed regulations restricting outdoor construction on weekends, made the greenspace across from the Marquise available as a parking lot when residents and their guests complained about a lack of spots on the street, dealt with noise levels from generators and ventilation systems, enforced street cleaning protocols, insisted upon the hiring of flagmen for safety purposes and numerous  other initiatives.

The very good news for all of us is that the project is almost complete. Mathieu Melançon, an engineer and project manager for Jadco, was on the call to provide an update and answer  questions.

The second tower is almost complete.

Equinoxe resident Stephen Wise asked about the establishment of a dog park on the premises. While it is in the plans, complex manager Oren Elbaz told me that an official decision  will be made in the coming weeks if indeed this comes to be.

There were concerns raised about workers arriving before the permitted hour of 7 am and making noise. Mathieu said that the company continually makes efforts on this front just as they regularly remind these same workers to park in the lot, not on the street. I continue to get calls on this issue, mainly from residents of the Equinoxe. It is important that our Public Security is called at 514-485-6960 when this occurs. Regrettably, we have some rogue sub-contractors who are acting in an illegal and selfish manner. The law allows us to issue fines, which we do.

Right now they are in a bit of a messy stage, as they complete the building and prepare to lay the foundation for the front of the building. A big pile of dirt sits in the parking lot. While the workers clean the street at the end of each day,  the final stages should be much more quiet and low key on the interior. The water leaking on to the street will also be resolved very shortly, we were promised.

While plans call for the lot to be turned back into nice greenspace, I will look into what its future use can be and consult residents Most people prefer a parkette with some nice benches. At one point we considered relocating Isadore Goldberg Park there. But in the past year we removed bushes and trees, refurbished and cleaned up the park and made a walkway (to be paved in the spring) to make it fully accessible via Marc Chagall. This is city land and I would oppose any attempt to sell it to a developer

An exterior piece of land near the Beth Chabad parking lot is zoned for a two storey commercial building. The owner of the land has repeatedly approached council for rezoning to allow for a larger project. I have opposed this.

Here is a nice story in The Suburban

Juste un rappel à tous. Le zonage de ce terrain a été établi il y a plus de 30 ans par un ancien conseil municipal. Il a fallu de nombreuses années pour qu'un promoteur se présente. Lorsque Jadco et Trantor l'ont fait, le conseil municipal avait abaissé le nombre maximum d'étages autorisés de 17 à 14.

Dès l'annonce de ce projet, j'ai créé un comité de représentants de chaque appartement pour rencontrer les propriétaires plusieurs fois par an et pour communiquer par courrier électronique afin de traiter les problèmes en cours et d'obtenir des mises à jour.

Dès le début de la construction, nous avons imposé des règlements limitant la construction en extérieur le week-end, nous avons mis à disposition l'espace vert en face de la marquise comme parking lorsque les résidents et leurs invités se plaignaient du manque de places dans la rue, nous avons traité les niveaux de bruit des générateurs et des systèmes de ventilation, nous avons fait respecter les protocoles de nettoyage des rues, nous avons insisté sur l'embauche de signaleurs pour des raisons de sécurité et de nombreuses autres initiatives.

La très bonne nouvelle pour nous tous est que le projet est presque terminé

It was more than five years ago when the Manoir Montefiore seniors residence on Mackle Road near Cavendish shut its doors. It sat empty for a while until Jadco Real Estate, the company behind the Equinoxe towers on Marc Chagall Avenue, purchased the property and completely gutted the interior to introduce a luxury rental apartment building nicely redubbed as Le Montefiore.

The lobby.

With the arrival of the second Equinoxe in November and Le Montefiore, I now welcome new District 2 constituents in three buildings since  the last election.

Oren Elbaz

Rising nine stories and consisting of 94 residences, unit sizes  at   Le Montefiore range from 440 square foot studios to 1600 square foot penthouses.  Oren Elbaz, the manager of the Equinoxe handles similar duties here. In order to accommodate  the additional cars, a second indoor parking lot was constructed where the Manoir Montefiore dining hall used to sit.

Residents began moving in towards the end of June. It is now 60 percent occupied. A leasing manager is  available each day to showcase  units, which come with brand new appliances. Someone I  know who just signed a lease was sold  on the idea when she saw there was a washer and dryer in each unit. There is an outdoor terrasse, which will soon have barbeques and a reception room  for private events on the main floor. Pets are welcomed.

For more information go to https://www.lemontefiore.com or call  514-547-1234.

A look at the interior.

The view from a penthouse balcony.