The Official Opposition at Montreal City Hall\u2019s spokesperson for infrastructure, Mr. Alan DeSousa, and city councilors for the borough of C\u00f4te-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Gr\u00e2ce, Ms. St\u00e9phanie Valenzuela and Mr. Sonny Moroz, held a press conference on Tuesday morning urging the Plante administration to accelerate the development on the site of the former Hippodrome. On the eve of the sixth anniversary of the transfer of land between the Government of Quebec and the City of Montreal, they regret that the development is still stuck on the starting line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlthough six long years have passed and there have been no horses on the site for a very long time, we continue to go around in circles at the Hippodrome. The administration has a golden opportunity to meet certain housing needs and it is not seizing it. This is inconceivable. It is time for the City of Montreal to be proactive; it needs to wake up and develop this piece of land it owns,\u201d declared Mr. Alan DeSousa.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The recommendations of the Office de consultation publique de Montr\u00e9al<\/em> (OCPM) for the Namur-Hippodrome sector were published in 2020. They are to serve as a basis for the development of a vision for the site, but the City is slow to consider them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In six years, only one call for tenders was successful in finding offers. This single successful call for tenders was awarded to a housing nonprofit organization. The second call for tenders, aimed towards private developers, received no interest because of the absence of a development plan and timeline for 96% of the site\u2019s area, among other impediments the administration is responsible for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n