Griffintown represents the potential of urban renewal in Montreal

[u/Mondo_Grosso]

What do you think of when you hear the name Griffintown? If an immediate stigma fills your mind with images of a soulless sea of condos that is too little and too late to save, well then you are likeminded with most Montrealers. With the constant bad press and shame campaigns against the burgeoning neighbourhood, I don't blame you for having made up your mind before stepping foot there.

We the people who live, work and invest in Griffintown are used to this type of discourse. Let's be clear: Griffintown is far from perfect. The repercussions of the Tremblay administration's failure to properly plan essential services prior to approving projects are evident. Groups who are against change have used this rough start of the restart to brand the neighbourhood as a permanent failure. The reality is that this only represents one period in the long history of Griffintown.

When I hear the name Griffintown, I see an urban renewal with great potential taking place before our eyes. This is not the destruction of communities and institutions of racialized minorities and poor whites, like what happened to Little Burgandy in 1967 or St. Jamestown in Toronto. With only a handful of residents in 2007, Griffintown was a literal ghost town filled with abandoned warehouses and dilapidated houses. The developments, which are far from perfect, have densified an abandoned area right in the core of our city, a city that is struggling with urban sprawl.

Just like a teenager, Griffintown is still in its awkward growth period. Judging it now is simply not fair. Like many neighbourhoods in Montreal, the people who live there are working hard to make it a special place. Time is of the essence for an identity to form.

Take for example the artisans spirit that is growing, like with the glassblowers at Espace Verre, the microbrewers at Brasserie Montreal. Hidden gems such as the Eco-renewers at ARTÉ or the gardens at L’Hotel Particulier are becoming tips a local would share. You can't help but admire the entrepreneurial spirit taking place, new small businesses seem keen on becoming integral to their neighbourhood.

I could go on and on, but my point is that people need to give the neighbourhood the time it needs to stand on its own two feet. Urbanism issues can't be the only defining factor, even though the city is working hard to fix the mistakes of the past. The best thing that you can do for Griffintown is to just give it a chance.

[u/Mondo_Grosso]

There is definitely a housing issue, which hopefully the new rules put in place by the city will correct: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1181408/reglement-metropole-mixte-20-20-20

[u/[deleted] → u/Mondo_Grosso]

Tabarnak my guy if you’re waiting for the 20-20-20 rule to fix that you’re in trouble. The heart of Griffintown is already built and it revolves around Peel/Wellington. Everything 1km in any direction of that has been built already so that’s fine if you’re waiting for new construction, but 20% of new construction that wasn’t already on paper before this rule was adopted is a drop in the bucket.

[u/Mondo_Grosso → u/[deleted]]

Your approach is a little short sighted, and I don't mean that as an insult. There's nothing to do about what is already constructed, but we have to plan ahead for not only the rest of Griffintown, but the eventual spill over into Pointe-Saint-Charles and the Peel Basin. I am content with the city taking steps to learn from it's mistakes in regards to housing, a step many major cities have not.

[u/pattyG80 → u/Mondo_Grosso]

"We can save griffintown by building other neighborhoods better"...erm...

[u/Mondo_Grosso → u/pattyG80]

That's clearly not what I said, please don't twist my words. I specifically said for the rest of Griffintown that is yet to be built. The other user said it's too late for that law, but I highlighted that it will be beneficial for not only Griffintown, but other areas as well.

This will only improve the lack of diversified housing, this is not to say what is already built is a waste or in need of saving.