In January 2017, the Demolition Review Committee (CÉDD) of the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough met to review the demolition permit application submitted by the property owner for the buildings. After hearing from the applicant, representatives of the borough administration and members of the public, the committee members denied the owner’s request. A counter-assessment commissioned by the borough had found that “the building [could] be preserved” and that the state of disrepair observed in early 2017 was, based on facts presented to the committee, “the result of the owner’s neglect in maintaining the building, which had not undergone the necessary work for several years.” Given the heritage and architectural significance of these buildings, their contribution to the harmony of the streetscape, the lack of an exceptional redevelopment project to justify demolition, and the strong likelihood that the site would remain vacant—harming the character of the neighbourhood—the committee concluded that demolition was not the appropriate course of action and that the loss “of this building would represent an irreplaceable loss.”
On May 16, 2021, journalist Philippe Teisceira-Lessard of La Presse published an article titled Verrues urbaines, in which 4651–4657 Saint-André Street was listed. The article reported that the owner “was no stranger to conflict with municipal authorities,” as the City of Québec had expropriated the Pollack House from him in April 2021—“a heritage building he had allegedly mistreated.”
Unfortunately, despite their architectural and heritage value, the buildings at the corner of Saint-André and Bienville streets remain vacant and continue to suffer from chronic neglect by their owner. However, the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough is aware of the situation and confirms that it is monitoring the case on a regular basis. Moreover, in early May 2023, the City of Montréal introduced a proposed overhaul of its building occupancy and maintenance by-law to align with new requirements set out in the Act respecting land use planning and development, following the adoption of Bill 69 in 2021. Although the new by-law is not expected to be passed until late 2023 or early 2024, it is hoped that it will provide the City with new tools to address this issue.
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