Devimco Explains “District Griffin” Tag

“We could have called it Griffintown, but that wouldn’t be entirely true, as the Griffintown historical site encompasses a much larger area.”
Yes, true, fair enough, but you wanted to redevelop almost all of Griffintown and didn’t quite have all the cash for that so you have scaled back, but still want to be the major player for the area. We know what you would have called your “new” neighborhood and the signs say Phase 1.
We have seen much too much of this nonsense in Point Saint Charles with small scale projects that call themselves “Le Charles” or some such tripe. Do you really not get how much of an insult that is to locals? Oh, sorry, forgot that you don’t want there to be any locals. This reminds reminds me of Europeans discovering America – imagine how damned pissed off they must have been to discover there was already people here? People already live in Griffintown.

“The term “district” seemed to be appropriate. It was formerly home to a single industry, yet was always within reach of everything. Now it is THE District. An enclosed, autonomous area with it’s own shops and services, an enclave for those in the know.”
Enclosed? And in the know? What will the residents of “District Griffin” know that the rest of us will not? Sounds like you are building a little walled in city for the worst kind of snobs. Maybe it’s a good thing that the rest of Griffintown will be on the real side of your wall? And what will be the preferred driving routes for your new group of elite citizens, because it is a car culture that you are building? Have you checked the potential levels of carbon monoxide that will flow evenly into “District Griffin” from the absurd Dalhousie bus project? Will you speak to your potential buyers about the health risks? No city district or neighborhood is an island, especially when the fumes of hundreds of buses are flowing through every day.

“We retain “Griffin” as a reminder of history of Griffintown that still lingers in the air. In our attempt to modernize the name we remained conscious of the necessity to honour the past. The Town was named for the original land donor, and we too felt it was crucial to acknowledge Mary Griffin’s contribution.”
There are still some notions of corruption at City Hall that are “lingering” in the air and Mr Charest will not have a public inquiry into corruption in the construction industry because, well, it clearly would not turn out well for him and many others. I am not saying you are doing anything wrong here legally, you have the blessings of Mayor Tremblay after all, but there is a history of large scale projects going “overbudget” in this city.
Your “modernizing” of the name just seems like the perfect mishmash of political correctness and corporate ego. Of course, what self respecting elitist would want to live in an area best remembered by hard times, poverty, ghosts, horses, hard workers, town drunks, musicians, storytellers, colourful characters, mysterious plane crashes, artists, and, gee, that’s beginning to sound pretty cool, um, let’s go on to the next thing.
“That’s the origin of The Griffin District name. Locals say, “I live in the District,” the way some say they live on “the Plateau” or in “the Village”. So discover The Griffin District for yourself, someday you might proudly say, “I love the Griffin District, I’ve been here since the beginning.”
I’ve never heard anyone refer refer to Griffintown as “The District” and am now wondering why they always say “Griffintown” around me, even when speaking French. It can only be because I am an “outsider”? I must get better informed! Will your new locals forget the real Griffintown? What about the people who were in Griffintown before the beginning? Or is this all just that corporate ego gently fantasizing about the day when happy clients will be ecstatically pitching the joys of life in “District Griffin” to potential buyers of Phase 2?

Here.