Residents of Pointe-Saint-Charles in Montreal's Southwest borough celebrated Friday as a community organization officially took possession of a building known as Bâtiment 7.

The ceremony capped a 15-year campaign spearheaded by a community collective called 7 À Nous to win possession of the abandoned, 8,300 square-metre warehouse at the old CN railyards.

A community garden, a bistro, a co-op grocery store and other initiatives are planned for the space, organizers say.

Community challenged casino plan

Gabrielle Gérin, chair of 7 À Nous, said the celebration was a moment to cherish.

"We decided to go up against this huge developer and to [stand our ground] and not let go and say loud and strong that we have a vision and we have needs," she said.

"The project that was planned here by this developer had no place in this neighbourhood and that we had a much much better idea."

In 2002, it was learned that Loto-Québec was considering buying the property and turning it into a casino.

Residents and organizations opposed to that plan got together and came up with a counter-proposal for a space that they said would benefit the whole community.

7 À Nous secured $1 million to develop the property, which will house services and businesses that are needed in the neighbourhood, which is one of most disadvantaged in Montreal.

"Now that we have the keys … we're renovating, putting the building back into shape, we're actively putting together projects in the first phase of development," Gérin said.

The first phase is set to be completed by January 2018.