575 will have a new development in place of the Brivia project
Pointe-Claire to get new senior’s health care facility
A new health care facility is to be built on the site of the former Mazda car dealership at 575 St-Jean. Blvd.
Residents protested plans for a proposed high-density residential project on St-Jean Blvd. on Sept. 19, 2020. There are now plans for a public health care facility for seniors to be built on the site of the former Mazda dealership, according to Pointe-Claire Mayor Tim Thomas. PHOTO BY PIERRE OBENDRAUF /Montreal Gazette
A new public health care facility for seniors is to be built on the site of the former Mazda car dealership at 575 St-Jean. Blvd. in Pointe-Claire.
The dealership was to be razed and replaced by a residential high-rise project by Groupe Brivia, but Pointe-Claire turned down approval for the project in 2021.
the West Island health network for construction of a new facility, Pointe-Claire Mayor Tim Thomas confirmed to the Montreal Gazette that the property has been expropriated by the provincial government for the purposes of constructing a health care facility for seniors.
He said the new facility would likely be six or seven storeys high. It would operate under the umbrella of the West Island health network or CIUSSS de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal.
The West Island health network could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
Plans to build a high-rise complex on the old Mazda site was met with strong opposition from local citizens in 2020. The project was to have more than 200 residential units in a layout of buildings between 4 and 10 storeys.
Critics of the Brivia project argued it was too large for a neighborhood composed of mostly single-family dwellings and townhouses. They also argued its construction would have a negative impact on the area, including increasing traffic congestion along local streets like Maywood Ave.
Citizens also railed against Pointe-Claire becoming the “Downtown of the West Island” with the arrival of REM light-rail network.
A digital petition by citizens opposed to the project collected some 2,170 names, while a written petition had 355 signatures.
Although the city’s demolition committee approved the demolition of the former Mazda dealership site in April 0f 2021, the committee did not approve the reutilization, or replacement, project.
The project developers, Groupe Brivia, appealed the demolition committee’s decision, but Pointe-Claire council later voted unanimously to refuse approval of the project.
The old Mazda site (formerly a Ford Mercury dealership) on St. Jean Blvd. has sat vacant for years.
Thomas said turning the property into a health facility for seniors would be a positive step for the community.
“I was told construction would begin in the next year, but we’re still waiting for more details from the CIUSSS about the project,” he said.
