by Barbara Black

The City of Montreal’s urban planning commission has accepted Concordia’s development plan for the Loyola campus, and will recommend approval of the plan to the city’s executive committee. The centrepiece of the plan is construction of a new science complex on the site.

The planning commission’s report, released after its hearing on March 7, included a number of comments and recommendations that Vice-Rector Services Michael Di Grappa said can readily be accommodated.

These include the university instituting an incentive program to increase use of the parking lot south of the athletic complex and some modifications to the campus design, including sturdier buffers to protect the privacy of residents on neighboring streets. The city will be examining the suggestion of a parking sticker system for residents.

Some of these suggestions originated with the residents themselves. A meeting was held March 3 on the Loyola Campus so that university officials could present the project to campus neighbors and listen to questions about the project. Di Grappa said the meeting was a productive one, and that a strong effort will be made to keep the community informed throughout the construction period.

The planning commission also recommended exploring the possibility with the MUCTC of a transportation link with the Vendôme métro station similar to the shuttle bus run to the downtown campus.

Shovels are likely to hit the ground on the Loyola Campus this summer, after the executive committee of Montreal enacts a zoning bylaw. The technical planning work continues for the building, which will house four science departments, and a project management firm has been hired.

The Jesuit residence has been purchased by the university. Members of the Jesuit community will continue to live there for three years, but at some point the space may be used to house graduate students.

On April 24, the planning commission will meet again to consider Concordia’s plans to build two big buildings on the downtown campus.

Three of the four Faculties have undertaken internal fundraising campaigns for their buildings. The fourth will be launched March 22. The leader so far is the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, with a participation rate of 64 per cent.