On the list of Montreal’s notable neighbourhoods, Bridge-Bonaventure ranks near the bottom.

It’s the largely industrial area most people pass through on their way to Costco or to get onto the Victoria Bridge. But 60 years ago, it was a lively place, home to waves of immigrants who lived in the cramped, two-storey homes that lined the streets and worked in nearby railyards and factories.

Goose Village, or Victoriatown — the names were used interchangeably — was destroyed in the early 1960s, razed in the name of chasing modernity. It hasn’t been an actual neighbourhood since. But change is on the horizon.

Last week, dozens of groups, individuals and business leaders shared their ideas about what should happen to the 2.3-square-kilometre area over four days of hearings by Montreal’s public consultation office (OCPM).

Early next year, the OCPM expects to issue its recommendations on the future of the district, which stretches from the Bonaventure Expressway to the Champlain Bridge, bounded by the St. Lawrence River to the south and the Lachine Canal to the north.

(Claudia Bilodeau/CBC)

(Claudia Bilodeau/CBC)

The battle lines have been drawn. On one side, there are those who want to attract new businesses, new residents, and a new baseball team to the area. On the other side, there are those who are already suffering the effects of gentrification in their community, who want to create a neighbourhood that will benefit the people who already live there.

They are all after one thing — revitalization. But that means something different to everyone.