Griffintown families get new green space

Griffintownparentshave a new spotto bring their children after the City of Montrealopened its firstparkentirely devoted tofamilies in the Southwest neighbourhood.

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TheParcduBassin--Gravier, which borders theLachineCanal, came with a price tag of $3 million for construction and to land decontamination.

The northern part of the park has a jungle gym for children, while the southern section is home to a water-retention bassinand a green space for 24,000 plants.

Mayor Denis Coderresaidthe park is a step forward in encouraging families to movetothe downtown area after the city announced in June its plan to have 50,000 more people live there by 2030.

"If you want to have more families who stay hereand if you want to make sure you will be able to raise your kid here, you need some spaces, some green spaces," Coderre said.

InGriffintown, where real estate and condo development are booming, there are about 8,000 dwellings but only 400 families live there. The neighbourhood cannot just boastcondominiums if itwants toattract more families, according to Coderre.

"We pushed for buildings, but we forgot to push the green space," Coderre said.

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But some wonder if the condo developments in the last decade have used up all of the potential green space in Griffintown.

"It is a complicated issue but I have a feeling they were negligent in the original part of Griffintown and maybe they're making amends here," McGill University architecture professorPieter Sijpkessaid.