City of Montreal officially acquires Notman Garden

Community volunteers who fought for years to save Notman Garden — a green space located at the corner of Milton and Clark streets in downtown Montreal — gathered to celebrate Saturday after the city officially acquired the garden.

READ MORE: City to expropriate and preserve Notman Garden

City councillor Alexander Norris made the announcement on his Facebook page.

Developers had been hoping to build condos on the site but in February the city announced plans to expropriate the land in order to preserve it.

At the time, Norris, who is councillor for the district, said the garden was a unique piece of land.

“There’s no place like this left on the entire island of Montreal,” he said. “These are rare trees, these are ancient trees. This is a part of town that sorely lacks green space.”

READ MORE: Protesters demand protection for historic Notman Garden

The city intends to transform the garden into a park.