January 17th, 2008
Terrasse trouble in Ville Émard
By Christopher DeWolf // 3 Comments
Who would have thought that patios could be so controversial? For nearly a year, since the Sud-Ouest borough approved a pilot project that installed restaurant and bar terrasses on Monk Blvd. in Ville-Émard, people in the southwest have been divided over whether or not they should exist. Terrasse supporters have banded together with business owners and the borough's opposition Vision Montreal councillors; terrasse opponents, meanwhile, have rallied around the borough's Union Montreal mayor, Jacqueline Montpetit, who is dead set against them.
Most of the terrasse opponents cite noise and disorderly behaviour as their main concerns. Others have complained that the terrasses, which occupy the entire sidewalk and are bypassed by a narrow wooden walkway, make strolling along Monk a hassle. This week, though, a poll of southwest Montreal residents was released, showing 80% support for terrasses on Monk and other commercial streets such as Notre Dame and Centre. Given this level of popular support, it wouldn't be surprising if the Monk patios would be allowed to return this summer.
Sidewalk cafés and terrasses do a lot to enliven the city during the summer months. Streets and sidewalks become even more convivial as people sit outside, watching the street or chatting with friends. It's a great way to extend streetlife into the evening. Even the most forelorn neighbourhood dive bar has a well-populated terrasse at midnight on a summer evening.
What really surprises me, though, is that the terrasses on Monk Blvd. have become such a contentious issue even though the neighbouring borough of Verdun has used them for years. (See above photo.) Anyone familiar with Wellington St. knows the transformative effect they have every summer. I tend not to follow local issues in Verdun, but if the terraces were unpopular, I doubt they'd be returning every year.
Still, there are other options. Yesterday, on Spacing Toronto, Dylan Reid posted about an interesting street infrastructure guide used by planners in Seattle, who have divided the sidewalk into three sections: the pedestrian zone, in the middle, the frontage zone, next to the buildings, and the landscape/furniture zone, next to the street.
Instead of building terrasses on the entire sidewalk, an worthwhile compromise for Monk might be to allow businesses to place tables in the frontage zone and landscape/furniture zone. With this approach, which has been used effectively in a number of different Montreal neighbourhoods, not to mention cities around the world, pedestrians aren't forced to detour, and in fact they walk straight through the terrasse rather than around it, which increases the sense of conviviality.
If that isn't an option, then maybe Monk should learn from Outremont, where wood terrasses replace street parking spots in front of busy restaurants on Laurier and Van Horne.
Terrasse on Van Horne in Outremont
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Comments
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Verdun is a well established live and let live kind of place (perhaps because of the Douglas Hospital people are less likely to judge behavior and the rougher days of the biker wars seem to be long gone). I have lived in Ville Emard too and while I love Monk, it is a relatively closed world compared to Verdun, lots of second generation families, it may be that people there are feeling a bit threatened.
I lived and grew up in the Ville Emard/Cote St Paul area for just about 30 years and know Monk Blvd very well. Being disabled, in a wheel chair permanently now, thinking of the side walks being taken up by these terrasse makes me wonder why they don't take the example of the way they do the terrasse on Van Horne in Outremont, as pictured.
That or close Monk to car traffic in summer if you want to put these on the side walks. You can do this, from Allard to Joliceur, have the terrasse in those areas, and make it a wonderful summer village. You have the metro access letting people off at Monk and Allard, not sure if the parking lot is still there at Springland and Monk, where the Steinburgs is/was (think it was changing hands just before I left) as I haven't been back in a good 11 years now since moving around Scandinavia and Europe. If it is still there that is a bonus too, promote a park and walk scheme. There are the buses to let people off at both ends as well, feeding people to the summer village.
If that was done I'd definately have to come back to see it!
I think terrasses make the street more lively and welcoming, and in that safe actually safer - but it is essential to clamp down on restauranteurs who don't leave enough space for pedestrians including people pushing prams, in wheelchairs or walking with their bicycle to safely and comfortably get by. I live in la Petite Italie and some - not all - of the restaurants have really hogged the pavement frontage of their establishments.
Ville-Émard has a certain charm but remains a bit forlorn, and needs a bit of livelying up - but respecting the interests of residents.
Comment by Maria Gatti
January 18, 2008 | 7:42 am