More than just a heritage building, this library plays an essential role as a third place in the collective life of the neighbourhood and beyond. We emphasize the importance of developing a Special Planning Program (SPP) that preserves not only the architectural integrity of this landmark site, but also its presence in the urban landscape and its role as a space serving the community.

Any densification proposed for this area must be balanced, respectful of the human scale and the needs of the local community, while enhancing the neighbourhood’s heritage and identity. This is particularly important given that the City of Montreal has chosen to grant private developers significant additional building height allowances for the former Montreal Children’s Hospital site (the Children’s), despite public consultations.

We share the concerns and objections raised regarding the direction taken by the consultants and the City, particularly the proposal to allow a 25-storey tower on the site immediately adjacent to the library. Such proposals merely replicate the model of excessive densification that the City of Montreal has accepted in Griffintown and around Cabot Square, rather than pursuing the human-scale densification that this area could accommodate.

Héritage Montréal is calling for an approach focused on human-scale densification, rather than a generic, numbers-driven model of condominium towers. While such a model may be suitable elsewhere, here it would serve private interests more than the public good, diminishing the value of the Atwater Library as a living heritage landmark without contributing to the vitality or human scale of Cabot Square or Sainte-Catherine Street West.