Westmount votes on development plan Thursday

The City of Westmount has postponed by a little over a week the vote on the adoption of the special planning program (SPP) for the city’s Southeast sector. The vote was originally supposed to be held at the recent council meeting. It will be held, instead, tomorrow September 18 at a special council meeting.

Mayor Christina Smith has indicated that there are some changes to the plan, and council needs more time to look at the bylaws.

The vote is scheduled for 6 p.m.

The plan for the sector is titled Imagine Westmount. At a special public consultation held in June Mayor Christina Smith referred to the plan as “a roadmap…a planning tool that will help guide the future development of this area.”

The area in question is a part of Westmount adjacent to downtown, where a 20-storey tower is slated for the south-west corner of Ste. Catherine Street and Atwater. The original plan called for a 25-storey tower. The updated plan adds three more towers along Ste. Catherine.

The June consultation evening was held at Victoria Hall instead of council chambers to accommodate the high number of residents that attended. It was clear, from the number of residents who lined up to ask questions or offer opinions, that the development plan is a highly polarizing one. There were those at the meeting, like former mayor Karin Marks, who asked that the vote to adopt be held off until after the municipal election. Others, however, were eager to see the plan implemented as soon as possible.

Councillor Mary Gallery and lawyer Lynne Casgrain, both of whom are running for mayor, have opposing views. Gallery supports the plan, whereas Casgrain is opposed. Michael Stern, who recently launched his own bid for the mayoralty, simply told The Suburban that he feels more information is needed.