Droning against zoning

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by George Maddux

If Mark Twain were alive, he'd note that you can't throw a rock in this town without hitting a proposed condo development. As developers salivate over almost every religious property in NDG, citizen groups have been fighting to make their voices heard in the process.

In an unprecedented strategic variation of anti-developer resistance, on March 29 at city hall, Loyola councillor Jeremy Searle conducted a bizarre one-man filibuster of a zoning committee meeting--talking non-stop until the meeting was forced to adjourn. Searle says he launched his uninterruptible tirade after bureaucrats handed out documentation that he says was designed to intimidate opponents of the proposed St-Augustin de Canterbury development. The papers suggested that opponents could be on the hook for costly legal expenses if they attempt to sue to stop the development.

According to Searle, the megacity transition committee should green light the right to referenda to allow citizens to overrule spot zoning decisions, which often undermine the value of homes and neighbourhoods. "Spot zoning is like being told that your RRSP can be halved in value because the investment company decides they suddenly want to change the rules," says Searle.

Searle speculates that Mayor Bourque's party has a major stake in keeping the zoning rules flexible. "If the rules are understood ahead of time then they have no way to encourage developer friends to make contributions to Vision Montreal in return for special considerations. Clear rules work well for everybody, except for fund-raising politicians."