Too big for Westmount

The main reason for the refusal, Shatwa Al-Musawi was told, was because her house would simply be too big.

The decision to send the plans back to the drawing board was reached by city council after hearing from two of the city’s most prominent architects and neighbours living near the upper Westmount property. The special public meeting attracted an overflow crowd of concerned residents to city hall.

But while most councillors had praise for various aspects of the project, all eight conceded that the house would be too large and therefore they would have to vote against the current design. “It’s a sad day when committees are telling good architects how to design their projects,” said architect Bruce Anderson, who designed the latest proposal and gave a detailed presentation on the project’s merits at Monday’s meeting.

Anderson gave a history of the property showing its various phases, and illustrated how the current proposal is no higher than the original house. He was countered by fellow architect Julia Gersovitz, who spoke on behalf of the neighbours on Cedar and The Boulevard who are opposed to the project. Their main concerns, she said, are not only with the height of the building, but also that the house would be too close to The Boulevard homes in the rear and should therefore be moved closer to Cedar Avenue.

Neighbours in the area have long been subjected to what many have called a local eyesore. A previous attempt to build a large home on that property was ordered demolished several years ago, leaving a vacant lot in the middle of an upscale neighbourhood. Anderson’s design is the latest phase of an ongoing saga.

Concern for the neighbourhood was voiced by Cedar Avenue resident John Cheffins, who lives across the street from the property. During question period, he said he bought his home in 2006 and assumed at the time that the vacant lot at 3283 Cedar would soon be developed — but years have passed and nothing has been done. “I have no problem with the design,” he said. “I’d like to see development proceed. The plans are just fine.”

Mayor Peter Trent, who chaired the meeting, pointed out that this was the first public consultation of its kind, and said he was pleased at both the turnout and the transparency of the proceedings. “Decisions like this should not be made behind closed doors,” he said. “The best way to settle these issues is through public discourse.”