City council in Gatineau voted in favor of a heritage designation that effectively kills a 400-million dollar condo project.
Council voting 12-7 in favour of the heritage designation for the downtown museum district.
The company of Brigil had planned to build a two high rise towers of 35 and 55 storeys in that same district right across from the Canadian Museum of History.
But opposition from some residents and last night's vote have essentially ended that development.
Brigil sent the following press release after the vote had concluded:
The chilliness took it away on the City council ...
This Tuesday night, August 28, the Gatineau officials had a crucial decision to make for the future of their downtown.
After several weeks of popular debates, of interventions on both sides in the media, the City council finally decided and opted FOR the project of classic heritage quote.
This vote ends the dialogue on the future of the Quartier-du-Musée.
Indeed, this harsh and rigid quote brings no long-term vision for the Quartier-du-Musée. In contradiction with the layout and development plan, this decision places Gatineau on a village scale and not of a North-American downtown. This verdict will inevitably push back the City, which currently occupies the position of the 4th largest city in Quebec.
It was possible, however, to take as an example other metropolis that have perfectly managed to combine modernity and heritage. No, Gatineau has chosen not to highlight the museum that hosts the most visitors within the country and has agreed to avoid the economic benefits that could result from an emblematic project.
It is not that much for his project Place des Peuples that Brigil regrets this decision, but for any development project in general, for the lack of vision for the future and for the lack of dare that would have allowed him to revitalize a downtown that needs it.
Its president and founder, Gilles Desjardins, accepts this democratic decision and will now give himself a moment of thinking because he is always determined to raise, in the medium or long term, an emblematic project in front of the Museum of History, to contribute the economic boom of the region. "Since my early childhood, I aspire to leave a legacy for future generations and to build a better quality of life," concludes Mr. Desjardins.