City of Montreal heads back to court to resolve future of heritage greystones

The City of Montreal is heading back to court in the New Year in a bid to save what remains of a pair of derelict heritage buildings.

The case is a continuation of an injunction the city sought in 2013 against Guy Desrosiers, who owns the buildings on de l'Esplanade Avenue near Mont-Royal Avenue.

The once-stately greystones were part of a week-long CBC Montreal Investigates series called Extreme Neglect. 

The series, which ran in September, looked at several rundown buildings in the City of Montreal and the challenges the city and Plateau-Mont-Royal borough faced in getting them repaired or demolished.

We also spoke to neighbours about the difficulties of living nearby.

Desrosiers has owned the greystones on de l'Esplanade since 1978. Since then, the buildings, which face onto Jeanne-Mance Park, have steadily fallen into disrepair.

With the exception of 4407, where Desrosiers still lives, all of the tenants who lived in apartments at 4403-4407 and 4413-4423 de l'Esplanade were evacuated after city inspectors deemed the buildings unsafe more than 20 years ago.

• Montreal powerless to act as heritage greystones on de l'Esplanade crumble

The northern-most building is considered beyond repair and at risk of collapse.

The city's request for an injunction has long been in limbo over two differing engineering opinions on how to demolish that building and save the heritage facade.

Engineers believe the second building could still be saved if action is taken immediately.

 

After decades of what he sees as neglect, Projet Montréal councillor Alex Norris says he hopes the judge will rule in the city's favour and force Desrosiers to act.

"I hope he'll take his responsibility and spend the money required to get it in proper shape," said Norris.

Derelict building on St-Dominique Street

The decrepit three-storey building at 3476 St. Dominique Street is still standing.

• On St-Dominique St., neighbours angered by Montreal's inaction

The former owner, Denis Guerrera, sold it in the fall. He claimed he couldn't get the project he wanted approved by the city.

Prior to the sale, the city had started legal proceedings against Guerrera to try and force him to repair or demolish it. 

The borough gave Guerrera permission to demolish it back in 2014, deeming it an "imminent safety risk," but he never followed through.

Barricades were installed by the borough due to concerns about falling debris and it was a frequent hangout for squatters.

Legal proceedings were suspended when the new owner, Werkliv, a Montreal-based company took possession in October.

The company says it has shored up the structure until it can be demolished. Jack posts and beams were installed.

"So it's safe and won't crumble, which it was about to do when we purchased it," said Daniel Goodfellow, Werkliv's president.

Werkliv has applied for a demolition permit. If the city approves its project, Werkliv wants to build eight, two-bedroom rental apartments that would use smart technology and energy efficient construction.

"They learn when users come home, so they adjust temperatures based on the habits of the inhabitants," said Goodfellow, who wants to use the building as a test case for a larger project he's working on in Ville-Marie.

Fire aftermath on Roy Street

The burned out husk that stood at 250 Roy St. East is finally gone.

• Aftermath of Roy St. fire leaves neighbours coping with squatters, mould, vermin

A year and a half after it burned, the former apartment building and dépanneur at the corner of Roy Street and Laval Avenue was demolished in November. The demolition came as welcome news to neighbours who had long complained to the city about squatters, mould and rats.

The new owners of the property expect to start building a new, three-storey building in the New Year. It would include rental apartments with a store on the ground level.