Pointe-Claire demolition committee decides to demolish Pioneer bar

After a heated debate that lasted into the wee hours of the morning Friday, it was unanimously decided that The Pioneer bar in Pointe-Claire should be demolished to make way for a new development.

The city's demolition committee decided the 117-year-old building would be razed, but it's not yet clear what would take its place, as there is a conditional refusal of the proposed land use.

More than 200 citizens attended the city's demolition committee meeting Thursday night as officials debated the fate of The Pioneer. 

Rumours started circulating in the spring that The Pioneer was going to be replaced with luxury condos. The building had been up for sale for 10 years.

Andrew Swidzinski, vice president of Heritage Pointe-Claire, said he and other concerned citizens, intend to appeal the decision to demolish the building.

"It's clear that the result last night was predetermined," Swidzinski told CBC Montreal's Daybreak. "The demolition committee members consistently defended the project."

Swidzinski said the hope is the city will listen to the appeal and backtrack on the decision, instead allowing a new buyer to take the reigns. There is a new buyer, he said, interested in preserving the building's usage as a bar and restaurant.

The building's owner, Diane Marois, told CBC last month that the old pub is falling apart and that she's glad a developer agreed to buy it.

The response from a number of residents, however, has been anything but positive.

The demolition notice that went up was met with defiance by residents who want the building to be preserved for its heritage value.

The building was a hotel dating back to the 1880s, according to the city of Pointe-Claire website. The current structure was built in 1901 after a fire razed most of the village.

It became The Pioneer in 1979, then was known as Clydes before changing its name back to The Pioneer in 2011.

"It's a 117-year-old heritage building. It's been a gathering place for Pointe-Claire residents for all that time,"  Swidzinski told CBC last month.

The demolition notice posted outside the bar in July said that an application for demolition had been filed with the city. The sale of the building to a contractor with plans to build condos on the site is conditional that the demolition order is approved.

Pointe-Claire Mayor John Belvedere, who is not on the committee and has no input, was at the meeting Thursday night.

He said that, despite objections from some residents and heritage advocates, he'd like to see a mix of residential and commercial construction take shape at the current Pioneer site.

"Right now, our commercial space is almost at 100 per cent rental. There's very few empty spaces, so we need more empty spaces available to bring in different types of businesses to make the village an exciting place to come," he told CBC News.

Belvedere also quashed rumours that the sale of The Pioneer building and its adjacent parking lot would have an effect on recreational facilities at nearby Bourgeau Park.

"We've had a plan since 2013 to redo that park," he said. "We're looking at upgrading those facilities. We have no intention of getting rid of them all."

While a decision by the demolition committee is expected tonight, it's not the final word on the matter. There will be a 30-day period where the decision can be appealed.