Agglo raises stakes on Angell Woods

0
435

The fate of Angell Woods could be decided by the courts, after agglomeration< council voted, Jan. 29, in favour of changing the zoning of a large tract of overgrown

Beaconsfield farmland from residential to conservation.

⭐ Verified AD ✔️

“Angell Woods is now permanently and officially protected as a regional park,”

crowed Mayor Georges Bourelle in a statement, despite the fact that most of the land

there is privately owned.

Bourelle told reporters that the matter must next be ratified by the Quebec

government, which has 60 days to approve the new Agglo urban development plan.

“I’m pleased that a strong step has been taken to save the woods, but at the same

time, it is never truly conserved while it remains in private hands,” demurred

Beaconsfield Councilor Pierre Demers.

“It’s good news for people who want Angell Woods conserved,” he acknowledged,

“but at the end of the day, this is a zoning change. The land itself is still very much

privately owned and will remain so until a fair price is mutually agreed upon.”

“There has been a lot of discussion of willing buyers,” Demers told The Suburban.

“Now we need willing sellers.”

Greenfiscation

He added that Beaconsfield had, for 30 years, resisted the temptation to rezone

because of the cost of defending the move before the courts. Now, the city is relying

in Montreal’s much deeper pockets to shield it from litigation.

“Precedents had been set that this would be a form of disguised expropriation,”

Demers explained. “It would have exposed Beaconsfield to lawsuits. What’s different

this time is that Montreal has decided to face those lawsuits that, in my opinion, will

surely come as a result of this zoning change.”

According to Diana Shahmoon, who represents one of the largest landowners, Seda

Holdings, the dispute could long ago have been settled amicably. She observed

that the agglo’s rezoning measure has dramatically undermined the market value

of property that, for more than a half-century, had been zoned — and taxed — as

developable.

“Illegally taking my assets is no less an act of theft just because it is done by the government, and this designation will condemn all of us to a lengthy and costly legal fight in order to protect my property rights,” she warned.

 

 

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here