Montgomery Place, Saskatoon


Montgomery Place is a post-World War II community erected for veterans outside Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, that consists primarily of residential homes. It was amalgamated within the city of Saskatoon in 1956, and is now a National Historic Site. Montgomery Place has an average household size of 3.2 persons, and homeownership is at 93.7%. According to MLS data, the average sale price of a home as of 2013 was $403,840. It was named in honour of Field Marshal The 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, the famous Ulster Scots commander in the British Army during the Second World War.
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History

Plans for a community on the current site of Montgomery Place date back to the May 1912 "Saskatoon and Environs Map" published by Commercial Map and Blue Printing, which sketched out proposed neighbourhoods far beyond the then-current boundaries of the young city. What is today's Montgomery Place carried the name River Heights then.
Most of this neighbourhood was built after World War II as a part of the Veterans' Land Act settlement plan; at the time, the land was still located outside Saskatoon's city limits. Ten years later in 1955 it became a neighbourhood of Saskatoon The area was designated a National Historic Site on July 4, 2016. It was named after Field Marshal Lord Montgomery - 'Monty' - and most street names honour notable people and places associated with the war.

Future expansion

The neighbourhood was considered to have reached full build-out in the early 1980s, however in the years since some additions have occurred. Current development plans for the region call for an expansion of Montgomery Place to the west of Chappell Drive, with additional residential development. Beginning in 2012, construction of residential development north of 11th Street and south of the 11th Street Bypass began, which has added the first apartment-style multi-family developments to the community. No time frame has been presented on the western expansion. With the completion of Circle Drive, there is also potential future development land available on the west side of Dundonald Avenue, which as of 2013 no longer connects to Valley Road or the City Landfill and has a number of lots that were left vacant for decades due to uncertainty over the eventual outcome of the Circle Drive alignment.
A new law has been put into place in this community that you can no longer sub-divide lots. The community wants to keep large spacious yards a tradition for many years to come.

Layout

11th Street and the new 11th Street Bypass are the northernmost roads in Montgomery Place. Chappell Drive is the furthest west road at present, whereas Dundonald Avenue and the southwest extension of Circle Drive lie to the east. The southern boundary of the community's residential development is denoted by Burma Road, a private roadway servicing the CN Rail yards on the south side of Montgomery Place. The neighbourhood is a conglomeration of streets and avenues in near grid fashion combined with crescents. The neighbourhood naming practices honour the history and theaters of World War II.
The city's main rail yard and passenger station is located on the south side of Montgomery Place, and the northern side of the community is in the shadow of the Viterra Grain Terminal, one of the city's iconic landmarks.

Streets

The following streets are located in this area:
11th Street West/11th Street Bypass, Caen Street, Arnhem Street, Normandy Street, Ortona Street, Merritt Street, Dieppe Street, Mountbatten Street, Currie Avenue, McNaughton Avenue, Elevator Road, Rockingham Avenue, Haida Avenue, Simonds Avenue, Cassino Avenue & Place, Crerar Drive, Crescent Boulevard, Lancaster Boulevard & Crescent, Bader Crescent, Dundonald Avenue, Chappell Drive, Burma Road.
Burma Road, a private roadway, runs east-to-west between the residential development of Montgomery Place and the rail yards to the south. The road did not appear on official city maps prior to 2012, but was recognized by Google Maps, and unofficial street signs were erected. Beginning in 2013, the City of Saskatoon's official street map shows it, even though it is not open for public traffic.
As noted above, most streets take their names from locations and individuals connected to the first two world wars. Exceptions include Crescent Boulevard and Elevator Road. In the 1960s, Crerar Drive was named Central Drive, but this was changed due to confusion over the similarly named Central Avenue in Sutherland.
A notable aspect of many older roadways within Montgomery Place is the lack of sidewalks. Several older streets within the community also were left unpaved for many years due to a stated desire by residents of the day to keep property taxes low.

Government and politics

Montgomery Place exists within the federal electoral district of Saskatoon West. It is currently represented by Sheri Benson of the New Democratic Party, first elected in 2015.
Provincially, the area is within the constituency of Saskatoon Riversdale. It is currently represented by Danielle Chartier of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party, first elected in 2009.
In Saskatoon's non-partisan municipal politics, Montgomery Place lies within ward 2. It is currently represented by Hilary Gough, first elected in 2016.

Education

Commercial area

The Confederation Urban Centre is the closest large retail center and contains 400 operating businesses which is 8% of Saskatoon's retail sector. The Blairmore Urban Centre is under development. Montgomery residents can directly access the former via Circle Drive and the latter via 11th Street and the realigned Highway 7.

Community events

The annual Montgomery Garage Sale occurs on the first Saturday in May. By all measures, this is the largest community garage sale in Saskatoon. Many community groups use the event as an opportunity to host fundraising barbecues and bake sales. Traffic within the neighbourhood is often abnormally congested during this event.
In addition, Montgomery Place hosts its very own Remembrance Day ceremony each year in Montgomery Park. Given its unique history as a veteran's neighbourhood, there is always overwhelming community support for the service.

Area parks

  • Gougeon Park
  • Lt. Col. Drayton Walker Park
  • Lt. Gen. G.G. Simonds Park
  • Montgomery Park

Other recreation

Transportation

City transit

Saskatoon Transit serves the neighbourhood with regular bus service. Route 22: Montgomery

Rail

Via Rail's Saskatoon passenger station is located off the southwest corner of the community, having been relocated there from downtown Saskatoon in the 1960s.