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.

When  I started my re-election campaign last summer, a number of people who regularly use the pathway from the end of Rembrandt Avenue to Cavendish Boulevard asked if it could be repaved.

I met with Gordon Aizer and Chris Wild from the Villas Merrimac Condominium Association in August and we took a proper walk through. There were a number of potholes. Rembrandt Avenue resident Meyer Freed also called, concerned about the water buildup in those sections when it rained.

Chris Wild and I check out the repaved pathway.

I consulted with our Public Works Department. Given the fact this is late in the season,  they promised to look at some patch up work. I stressed the importance of making this as walkable as possible and they found a way to repave virtually the entire strip. Thanks to Operations Head John Monteiro and his entire team!

When the  6700 Avenue residential apartment building was constructed as part of the redevelopment of the  Quartier Cavendish area, the original zoning allowed for commercial space to be rented on the ground floor.

The Mayor and City Council have dreamed from the start for The Avenue to become Côte Saint-Luc’s version of Monkland Avenue in NDG. Regrettably, on the Quartier Cavendish side, both Yeh Yogurt and a café were unable to make a go of it.

Ownership of 6700 Avenue changed hands in the last two years. The new company in charge did an extraordinary job beautifying the entire property and they made it clear to me that their preference is to convert the ground floor to strictly residential. I for one support them with this request, but with a major redevelopment of Quartier Cavendish on the horizon the Mayor and Council want to keep the dream of a Monkland Avenue alive.

In order to assist the new owners, Council has started the process to allow them to widen their search for commercial tenants. On Wednesday June 24 we launched  a 15 day write-in consultation period.  ¨Property owners living in the immediate area (The Avenue, Park Place and Jubilee and part of Cavendish) of the building can send in their comments to consultation@cotesaintluc.org.

Last week I held a virtual information meeting about the proposal. Our Urban Planning Coordinator Melanie Rothpan and Sylvain Gariepy, a consultant on the project, were available to explain the changes and respond to questions.

The following uses are prohibited: childcare services in a nursery, day-care facility or a kindergarten as well as   pet shops and  veterinary clinics. What would be allowed? Offices of professionals, medical clinics, fabric stores, coffee shops, convenience stores and pharmacies. The latter is not necessary when we already have one of the best pharmacies in the city thanks to David Banon and Sarah Ettedgui at Pharmaprix.  Harvey and Michael Wolfe, co-owners of Quartier Cavendish as well as André Doudak representing 6700 Avenue were part of the virtual meeting.

Harvey Wolfe expressed concern about the wider allowable use being proposed for the building. He noted that the Quartier Cavendish, despite the fact it was downsized, continues to carry a high vacancy rate and he is not pleased with 6700 Avenue being able to expand its use of the ground floor. Both he and Doudak concurred that the residential option is preferable.

Mayor Mitchell Brownstein joined the meeting. He told Wolfe that the Quartier Cavendish will indeed have the ear of Council when it proposes a large-scale mixed use redevelopment with residential and commercial space. That process is expected to begin within the next eight months and also involve Decarie Square and the Côte St. Luc Shopping Centre. Wolfe reminded everyone that Quartier Cavendish originally held the option to lease space at 6700 Avenue.

Wolfe  gave a fascinating history of how the original Cavendish Mall came to be in 1973 and the challenges it has faced the past five decades.

A final vote will take place on August 9.

Caldwell Provisions, the popular neighbourhood grocery store located on Caldwell and Kildare Road, will take over the entire strip mall by fall 2021  and be rebranded as Supermarché PA Côte Saint-Luc.

Owner George Sparagis said  the existing tenants, CSL Bagel, a drycleaner, a hairdresser and a chocolate shop, will all be integrated into the new design, which will expand to three storeys. The former Pharmaprix , bakery  and synagogue storefronts are already empty.

George and Rachel celebrate the exciting news.

Sparagis made the deal with Supermarché PA when they unsuccessfully tried to lure away his head chef Sophie and head cashier Rachel.  

By engaging in this partnership, Sophie will in fact become the executive chef for all of the Supermarché PA stores. They will also carry CSL Bagel and Le Petit Jardin  products.

“This is a dream come true,” CSL Bagel owner Seth Eliahoo told me through his glass window. Seth has employed rigid safety measures since the start of the pandemic. He does not even let his financée inside.

Seth contemplates great things ahead for his bagel empire.

Mayor Mitchell Brownstein was privately involved in the negotiations and promised to bring to Council a proposal to place a very large billboard on the roof of the building to increase visibility.

Supernarché PA will also purchase naming rights to the Samuel Moskovitch Arena. The ice surface itself will be known as the Supermarché PA Rink and that will be emblazoned on the scoreboard.

While small in size compared to the major grocery stores, Caldwell Provisions has cornered the market  on fresh ready to eat meals via Chef Sophie and some of the best cut fruit in town thanks to assistant manager Spiro and his team. Many clients do their regular grocery order here by phone and as a result Sparagis has multiple delivery trucks out at a time.

The staff are extremely friendly and they greet all regular customers by name.

Sparagis started working at the store when he attended nearby Wagar High School and eventually bought the place. He is a hands on owner who can be seen on site seven days a week.

Now this would be an absolutely excellent idea for the strip mall, but at this point I must simply say “April Fool’s Day.” However, on that note I would certainly welcome Caldwell Provisions taking over the  storefront formerly occupied by Pharmaprix so they can double in size. As for CSL Bagel, Eliahoo created a superb brand and expansion is indeed merited.

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.

 Ron Basal knows how to throw a party!

Following the construction of The Equinoxe Phase 1 on Marc Chagall  and 6700 The Avenue, billed as luxury rentals, Parkhaven Towers is the latest to share that category in Côte Saint-Luc.

This 112 unit high-rise project was conceived by builder Ron Basal. Construction and management of the facility is being carried out by renowned Gestion Elm Developments of Toronto.c

Judith Basal and Ron Basal.

As for the party, well on August 18 Parkhaven Towers formally unveiled its new sales office at Quartier Cavendish. Champagne was flowing and a decadent sweet table (including to die for Sfingy’s donuts) was parked right next to the brochures promoting the development. Occupancy is expected by November. History will note this is on the land that housed the Griffith McConnell Seniors Residences.  Basal  recently collaborated on a stacked town house development next door.

An artistic rendering of the new high-rise.

The high rise  is  a pet friendly building (I am always happy to hear that)  strategically located right next door to our renowned Aquatic and Community Centre and the Wagar Adult Education Centre. It is within walking distance to Pierre Elliott Trudeau Park,  the Caldwell Strip Mall and Medical Centre, Quartier Cavendish and the  Samuel Moskovitch Hockey Arena.

Each unit is designed like a condo, offering you your own washer / dryer, beautiful greenery, spectacular views and  professionally designed kitchen and bathrooms, with  an open concept floor plan. There are  ceramic floors throughout, private balconies and stainless steel appliances all included.  There is easy access to shopping/dining/transit,an in-house concierge, 24 hour security and doorman, underground parking, a Shabbat elevator,  a gym and a party room. There is easy access to many parks and recreational facilities that caters to all different lifestyles. 

I noticed a number of my constituents in the sales office, some them the owners of condos and others living in rental properties. Irving Schok, the noted Leopard of Louvain, was also on the scene. The personable Century 21 Vision real estate broker might have some clients to steer this way as well.

For  more information log on to www.parkhaventowers.ca .   

Cheers to another development in Côte Saint-Luc.

Urgent work by Hydro-Québec and Bell Canada will cause significant inconvenience to motorists on Marc Chagall Avenue and Kildare Road near Cavendish this summer.

I met with some members  of our Urban Planning team today and the city has no choice but to issue the permits now as both Hydro and Bell insist the work cannot wait without potential negative repercussions for residents.

Soon after developers announced they planned to construct two high rise rental buildings on Marc Chagall Avenue I established an ad hoc committee, consisting of  representatives from the four  condominum complexes on the street (Le Cours Marc Chagall, La  Marquise, The Bellagio, Rothchild II and on Mackle Road the Rothchild I).  We began meeting immediately and a lot of issues were resolved as the new Equinoxe became a reality,

I always begin my stories  on the Equinoxe with the historical note that the zoning to allow for this facility was adopted by a previous city council more than 30 years ago.

On April 29,  I convened another meeting. This time we gathered at the Equinoxe, which everyone on hand agreed closely resembles a five star hotel.

A picture of our group with André Doudak (left) at the Equinoxe.

Present was  André Doudak,  the president of lead developer Jadco and Philippe Mourani who oversees the new building.  Representing the condos were: Lyon Kunin and Albert Aaron (Rothchild II); Eddie Bornstein (Rothchild I);  Sheldon Lang (resident, Equinoxe);  Sid Margles and Mike Cuplowsky (Marquise); Syd Rosen and Allan Familiant (Bellagio); and  Jason Ullman (Les Cours Marc Chagall).à

Update

André Doudak reported that all but two of Phase One’s 170 units are occupied. Excavation is nearly complete and a crane will be installed next week to begin the construction phase for the second tower, which will number 116 units. It is scheduled for completion for spring 2020, with move in date likely in July 2020. The bulk of the “messy” excavation was done during the winter when most people were away. There is no weekend construction for this phase. Only certain weeknights will they work late for the pouring of cement.

Everyone agreed that thus far efforts by the construction crew to keep the street clean have been successful. It is hoped this will continue. Ditto for the presence of a crew member to direct traffic when needed- a valuable safety measure,

Condo reps were  then given the floor to air any concerns.

Rothchild II

Cement trucks will be present soon for a six month period. Mr. Kunin and Mr. Aaron alluded to Phase One when these trucks parked on Lismer and they were cleaned, leaving behind  a very large mess. They asked that this not be repeated. Mr, Doudak took note.

Rothchild I

The presence of the generator at the side of the building resulted in a winter of misery for  many Rothchild I residents. The Equinoxe did not have a full Hydo-Québec hookup until April 14, so the generator was regrettably necessary to power their building. Efforts  were made to baffle the sound,  but this was not completely successful. Eddie Bornstein asked if the generator could be moved inside the building. Mr. Doudak said this is not possible, but he made it clear that that the generator will not cause the neighbours any more problem. It will be tested once a week for a few minutes, likely mid-morning during a weekday. The only time it will ever be used again is in the event of a power failure. Should such an event occur, the Rothchild I will be in the same boat.

Marquise

Mike Cuplowsky suggested that a temporary fence be erected near the excavation area as a safety precaution. He also asked that attention be given to a generator placed in the back of the building and whether it is necessary.

Les Cours Marc Chagall

Jason Ullmann asked about the makeshift parking lot next door. Mr. Doudak said his workers will be using it this summer. Councillor Cohen noted that it will be returned to greenspace after the construction concludes in the summer of 2020. It is his hope and mine for this to become some kind of parkland.

The Bellagio

Syd Rosen expressed his appreciation for the cleaning efforts thus far. He was also pleased  to hear workers will park in the lot and not take up spaces on the street. Dust does tend to come from the construction  and effect the air conditioning units of some residents.

The Montefiore

Mr. Doudak shared with the group this company purchased the former Manoire Montefiore seniors home at  Mackle and Cavendish last year. They are gutting the inside and building about 100 new rental apartment units. They will also be repurposing the main floor for additional garage spots. More news to come on a name and potential opening date.

For the  last  several months, our Urban Development, Public Works and  Public Safety Departments, have been working diligently with the administrators of the Condo Elysée on Rembrandt Avenue and how to assist them while major garage work occurs over the next four months.

Garage work on Rembrandt will last four months

The Elysée   data base of 84 cars license plate numbers have been submitted to Public Security. Residents in the immediate area can expect to see a lot of cars on the street. Those residing in the other condos  would be well  advised to use their own garages all of the time, even if they are only going in and out for a few minutes.

Public Safety has been very helpful in collecting vehicle information. Public Works will ensure that the recycling bins are attended to. A big thanks as well to Spyro Yotis, our traffic engineer.

Work like this on a street with many condo buildings can be disruptive. The administration of the Elysée has been very well organized. Hats off to Agneta Hollander and  Steve Acre in particular.