Montreal’s Chinatown, threatened by development, to be granted heritage status

MONTREAL—The Quebec authorities is granting heritage standing to the core of Montreal’s Chinatown district to guard its historic buildings from redevelopment.

Tradition Minister Nathalie Roy made the announcement as we speak alongside Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante and different municipal and provincial officers.

Roy says the designation requires house owners to protect the historic character of their buildings in Chinatown and to be granted approval from the Tradition Division earlier than they'll make vital modifications.

The province can be giving particular safety standing to 2 of Chinatown’s most “emblematic” buildings, together with a former faculty constructing from 1826 that now hosts a noodle producer.

Neighborhood leaders have been calling for years for the town and the province to guard the shrinking core of Chinatown, which they are saying has been slowly remodeled by gentrification and improvement.

Plante says the town will modify its urbanism plan to make sure that future improvement within the downtown neighbourhood respects particular standards relating to constructing peak, density and structure.