04 Sep Mount Foster Project: agreement between the land developers and Appalachian Corridor
We announce that an agreement has been reached with the land developers of the Mount Foster real estate project in Bolton-Ouest. For Appalachian Corridor, the agreement meets the requests made by the organization and the population: to ensure connectivity with adjacent large forest blocks, to gain the largest conservation area possible, to offer public access to the summit while allowing real estate development, with as little ecological impact as possible. With this agreement, the project will secure 211 hectares of land in perpetuity, meaning more than three-quarters of the project area. “We consider the agreement to be the best compromise possible in order to protect most of the area’s elements of ecological interests. It is important to remember that the project was already underway before our intervention: rock had already been blasted, roads and residences had been built. The latest development plan would prevent greater ecological consequences since conservation areas would be protected in perpetuity. It is now up to the community of Bolton-Ouest to decide whether or not the agreement is right for them” said Mélanie Lelièvre, Executive Director at Appalachian Corridor. “Obviously, from an ecological perspective, the best option would have been not to have real estate development project in this area … but that is not possible and unfortunately we cannot go back in time” she clarified nonetheless.