CTV says Projet Montréal is being blamed for the slump in business on Prince Arthur’s resto strip. Projet councillor Alex Norris ripostes in the comments.
We’ve already discussed Prince Arthur here. Norris does suggest the formula of a strip with nothing but restaurants for blocks is not working, but he has to be tactful about the outmoded format of a lot of those establishments. We identified additional reasons for the street’s decline in that thread, which I invite Mr. Norris, if he reads this blog, to have a look at.
Charles 23:16 on 2012/04/14 Permalink
How to they explain then that Duluth, which is also in the same district, is doing so well? Duluth has much more interesting and varied restaurants.
Robert J 23:17 on 2012/04/14 Permalink
I’d like to think every city councillor reads this blog religiously.
Kate 23:50 on 2012/04/14 Permalink
Is Duluth thriving? I used to live close by but don’t go along there very often any more. There used to be quite a different more varied vibe on the street east of Saint-Denis, and of course now that’s where the Pied de Cochon has made such a splash.
Robert J: So would I, but I doubt it!
Robert J 23:54 on 2012/04/14 Permalink
I lived at the corner of St-Dominique and Duluth for a few years. Back then I would say it was a healthy street. There’s a couple of laundromats, a Portuguese grocery store, several quality deps, as well as a decent mix of restaurants (not all of which are great but several good spots in all price ranges, from Chez José to Pied de Cochon). I’d say it’s about the perfect example of a highly functional street in the Plateau.
Chris 01:12 on 2012/04/15 Permalink
Norris’s reply there is spot on. Duluth is doing well, there are no empty buildings.
Jack 05:11 on 2012/04/15 Permalink
The one thing I am very happy about is the instant response by Projet Montreal and Mr.Norris, since they are now blamed for the weather,stock prices and gray hair. Having the temerity to question car usage in North America will make you some pretty big enemies so I appreciate the new media strategy.
Antonio 06:18 on 2012/04/15 Permalink
I live in La-Petite-Patrie and work downtown. I often walk home rather than take the metro when it’s nice and end up on either Duluth or Prince-Arthur depending upon the route that I choose to take.
Duluth seems to be doing well on either side of St-Denis. Prince-Arthur between Laval Avenue and St. Lawrence Boulevard currently looks like a commercial disaster area, with the Gourmet Grec being a burnt-out shell and three or four other restaurants closed down. That said, one or two of these restaurants had “opening soon” signage in their windows. I hope that the street recovers.
Paul S. 11:27 on 2012/04/15 Permalink
There should be a requirement for city councillors to have a grasp of basic business. The Projet Montreal clearly does not understand the needs of those small shopkeepers who keep the area alive and it’s no surprise, as none of those elected have a business background. I don’t expect armchair media pundits to sympathize with their plight but elected officials should. I was in the restaurant business and I’m so glad that I didn’t have to deal with those pontificating a***oles from the PM.
Kate 12:04 on 2012/04/15 Permalink
Paul S. (“paul@noneofyourbusiness.com”? Have the courage of your convictions), our planet’s being chipped away at piece by piece for “business” reasons. A major reason Projet is supported by many people is their willingness to entertain the idea that sometimes you have to draw the line against what “business” wants.
Chris 12:05 on 2012/04/15 Permalink
Paul, requiring that of councillors would be extremely undemocratic. Shall we also require them to have a grasp of basic engineering, basic carpentry, basic dendrology? No. In any case, they have professionals in the bureaucracy to consult with on relevant topics.
Chris 12:08 on 2012/04/15 Permalink
Also, am I the only one that finds it weird that merchants on one of the city’s only pedestrian-only streets are complaining about parking availabilities & policies ? Their street is something very unique, which they should be able to turn into an advantage.
Alex Norris 15:22 on 2012/04/15 Permalink
Thanks Kate. Something I forgot to mention elsewhere is that the nearest parking meters to this strip (on Saint-Laurent betweeen Sherbrooke and Pine) have been at $3 an hour for many years. And the price of those meters has not changed since we took office. So cross that reason off the list of reasons why we are supposedly to blame for Prince Arthur’s decline. As for snowclearing, Prince Arthur is basically a seasonal street; it’s been a dead zone in the winter for many years and virtually all of its business gets done in the spring, summer and fall — so here again, it’s hard to blame Projet Montréal for what ails this street. Taxes? As I pointed out in my CTV post, those are determined by the central city admin, not the borough — and we in fact decided NOT to impose a borough tax (unlike half the boroughs in the city). So there’s yet another reason to cross off the list of why we are supposedly to blame for the woes of Prince Arthur. Lack of parking? We have not eliminated a single parking space in the vicinity of that strip of Prince Arthur St. So that complaint is off the list too. In fact, there goes the whole premise of the story. Yes, Prince Arthur is facing a lot of challenges. High taxes (set by the central city), high rents (set by local commercial landlords), a highly seasonal business (which has been the case since the strip got started) and businesses which have not all succeeded in keeping up with the times and appealing to a broad enough market, plus a nasty fire that has left a burnt-out wreck in the middle of the strip. The comparitive success of restaurants on Duluth and Gilford (between St-Denis and Rivard) and Mont-Royal Avenue (whose bistros and restaurants are booming) is proof that the real source of the problem does not lie with borough policies. That said, we’ll do what we can to work with the merchants to help revitalize this strip and make it more appealing to a broader market. Also, please keep in mind that because of the seasonal nature of this particular strip of restaurants, it almost always looks bad at this time of year. Give it another month or two and it will look a lot better. I know that at least three new establishments are set to open soon on that strip.
Kate 15:42 on 2012/04/15 Permalink
Thank you for dropping by, Alex. That’s a very solid defense.
Alex Norris 15:45 on 2012/04/15 Permalink
PS: @Paul S., you’re wrong to state that none of us has a background in business. Plateau borough mayor Luc Ferrandez is a management consultant who has run his own business and has worked in management and as a consultant for a number of large companies. And we DO sympathize with the plight of some of these business owners; that’s one reason that, despite 9-per-cent cuts in funding to our borough by the Tremblay admin since we were elected, we chose NOT to impose our own borough tax: we recognize that many small businesses have already been hit hard by tax hikes imposed by the central city and therefore decided not to worsen matters by imposing an additional tax ourselves. As for “pontificating,” I’m sorry that’s how you see it; I call it “being held accountable.” It would be easier not to respond to questions on blogs and in social media but I consider it part of my job to do so.
Arthur 16:07 on 2012/04/15 Permalink
Projet Montreal should have left the parking issue alone, it hurt a lot of the businesses up there.
ant6n 18:56 on 2012/04/15 Permalink
Maybe this is some sort of campaign to reduce rents and/or tax evaluations?
Kate 22:14 on 2012/04/15 Permalink
Campaign on whose part, ant6n?
ant6n 00:08 on 2012/04/16 Permalink
business owners … people trying to set up shop for cheap? But nah, that wouldn’t happen.
On the other hand, Prince Arthur’s been in the news a lot lately. And since it seems to be easy these days to get into the news if you blame Projet Montreal for something, seems like a cheap way to get publicity.