The future of two long-standing, seemingly abandoned buildings along Brossard’s Taschereau Boulevard hinge on the development of the busy South Shore artery.
Boarded up, covered in graffiti, and surrounded by a tall fence, a strip mall off Taschereau Boulevard has been a vacant eyesore for over 10 years. It’s a similar story for the neighbouring building, which formerly housed a medical clinic.
The buildings are owned by separate companies.
Despite their looks, according to the city, the strip mall is assessed at $6 million and the former clinic is assessed at $4 million.
The owners of the strip mall, GPA Motor Trade Inc., would not comment on camera, but representatives reached by phone told Global News the property is not for sale.
However, the company said there are plans for a future development but it did not specify when or what exactly will be built.
Demolition plans were approved in 2022 but were not followed through, according to Brossard Mayor Doreen Assaad.
Global News tried to contact the owners of the building that housed the former clinic, Parkland Valdec Inc., but was not able to reach anyone.
Assaad said she understands why a property owner might wait. “They would like to have an approved project in hand to revitalize Taschereau. It’s a priority for us and the council.”
In anticipation of the long overdue revitalization project of the outdated boulevard, the city of Brossard instituted a moratorium for the past year, pausing all construction.
Mayor Assaad said council wanted to make sure the provincial government and the city were on the same page when it comes to moving forward with any plans to modernize Taschereau Boulevard itself. Taschereau Boulevard is a under provincial jurisdiction.
“We’re the ones who need to make sure, in terms of traffic, that it doesn’t cause additional problems and we want to make sure we have an integrated vision,” Assaad said.
The future vision of the artery will become clearer on June 4 when city council hopes to adopt its new urban plan.