A residential street in Dame-de-Grâce is one of several that could soon see new parking meters. This is part of a plan to install 200 along Sherbrooke Street West and nearly 250 more on nearby side streets.
The borough says the goal is to improve parking turnover and support local businesses, but residents worry it could make it harder to find a spot near home.
“We’re a very friendly group of neighbors and now we’re gonna be fighting over parking,” said Liz Ostroff, an NDG resident.
Franck Ollivier, the co-owner of Ophtalmo Vétérinaire, said, “That was a real surprise actually, because we have never been consulted by the City. So, it was really a surprise, and not good news.”
Adding, “We do have actually people coming from all over Quebec and actually even from Ontario and from the the closer US states so they are driving all over the place they’ve got sick animals in the car they don’t know how to read all the signs there is really hard time to find spots so it’s really stressful for them to the point that sometimes they get fine for parking fine and I have to pay them for them.”
The project will cover the section of Sherbrooke Street West between Grand Blvd. and Hampton Ave., as well as from Wilson Ave. to the eastern limit of the borough. New meters are expected to be installed before summer.
Frank Ollivier and resident Liz Ostroff launched two petitions calling for a moratorium and a public consultation.
Ostroff says nearly 350 respondents shared concerns about how the changes could affect daily life in the neighbourhood.
“There are a lot of elderly people, people with handicap mobility issues that are worried that are concerned that they’re gonna have to now circle for parking. There’s a lot of comments that if we put meters on Sherbrooke in the side streets, it’s gonna push the traffic up,” said Ostroff.
The borough estimates the new meters will bring in about $131,000 a year, with part of that money reinvested in projects to help revitalize Sherbrooke Street West.
But some residents question the financial impact.
City documents from the Agence de mobilité durable estimate that of a potential $623,000 in revenue in 2027, about $142,000 would go back to the borough, representing less than a quarter of the gross revenue.
“We’re concerned because you know, for every hundred dollars that goes into the meter, only $23 comes back to the City, it’s 23 cents on the dollar, it’s you can’t really argue with these numbers,” Ostroff explained.
In a statement sent to CityNews, Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce acting borough mayor Sonny Moroz says, “We recognize that parking is an important issue for residents in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, and we understand the concerns being raised. Over the past few weeks, I’ve met with residents to hear their perspectives directly regarding the upcoming changes. All feedback received, including the petitions, will be carefully reviewed and taken into account.”
Adding, “At the same time, we are actively working to limit the impacts of this project and to ensure that the decisions made strike the right balance between commercial vitality and quality of life in the neighbourhood.”
While Ollivier says, “I hope, I really hope that the City is going to stop the project and discuss with the residents because they are going to be really affected by that.”
