Montreal Expos: Baseball stadium project needs public consultation

The Montreal public consultation office needs to see if the stadium project is viable for city residents. Is the return of the Montreal Expos in jeopardy?

It’s been 51 years since the Montreal Expos debuted in MLB, and a little over 15 years since it left, seemingly for good. The past few years however has given the city’s baseball faithful some hope.

Through Hall of Fame inductees, Spring Training baseball, and crazy rumors of a split-team with Tampa Bay, the idea of baseball returning to Montreal has become more of a reality, than a romantic notion.

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That romantic notion took a bit of a hit this week, as the Montreal Public Consultations Office (OCPM) said that the new baseball stadium project proposal would have to be put on hold until a separate public consultation is held.

The downtown neighborhood, known as “The Peel Basin,” had been proposed as the location of a new ballpark by the “Groupe Baseball Montreal”, which is led by Stephen Bronfman (the son of the Montreal Expos original owner, Charles Bronfman).

The need for a public consultation puts a potential wrench in the ongoing plan to bring baseball back to Montreal. While supported by baseball fans, specifically those looking to relive the days at Jarry Park and to a lesser extent, the Olympic Stadium, the logistics on how to get this done has become a controversial issue for city residents.

Despite the fact that the land developer and the Bronfman-led group had reached a deal on the site, it is the re-zoning of the area that is creating an issue. More than half of the respondents to an online survey said that they were not in favor of the project.

The OCPM won’t make a ruling themselves as they feel that it would be “irresponsible” to come to a decision on the proposal without knowing all of the related details and impacts that it may have.

Many residents of the area are concerned that the building of a stadium will not meet the economic and social needs of the community-at-large. Fears of increased rent, negative environmental impact, and gentrification have been brought up. It is now up to the Groupe Baseball Montreal to show that the stadium project can meet those needs and not be detrimental to those who live in the area known locally as “The Pointe”.

Full details of the proposal can be found in French, here: Office de Consultation Publique de Montreal: Secteur Bridge Bonaventure)