Rad Can does the west end, not entirely to my liking

Applebaum, the Vista and Lee Lalli

   Most recently, Radio Canada reported that the land at the southwest corner of Cote St. Luc and Decarie was rezoned three times, ultimately benefiting a developer named Lee Lalli. 

  Radio Canada's report doesn't specify, from what I can see, where and how it was rezoned. 

  I have repeatedly asked the borough whether that parcel of land had previously been rezoned. 

  CDN/NDG media relations officer Richard Therrien told me, as did others, including detractors of Michael Applebaum, that the land was never rezoned.

   It doesn't help that the CDN/NDG borough has kept its zoning committee top secret, under orders from past borough mayor Michael Applebaum, a decision which I consider a major error, particularly as he was working as a real estate agent at Royal Lepage for much of his reign in the borough. 

   That doesn't make him guilty of anything, however. 

   The property, which once housed a religious group, has been long been zoned institutional and still is. 

   The old age home that was ultimately built there was deemed to be institutional, therefore no zoning change was required for the Vista project. 

  The height restrictions on the building, from what I was told, did not apply to the Vista old age home project because it's on a corner property where taller buildings are permitted.

   You'll recall that this project came about when residents oppposed a zoning change that would have allowed a Pharmaprix to be built on the property. 

   Those residents thought that such a commercial outlet would bring too much traffic but the old age home did not require a zoning change, thus the plans were changed and this was seen as a good result. 

   The religious order that owned the property might have sold it too cheap but it's extremely unlikely that there was any malfeasance in that end of the bargain because the director who oversaw that sale is a crown prosecutor in Montreal. I have spoken to him about this issue but I don't currently have his name handy. 

   The fact that circumstances changed and the property rose in value while in the hands of the new owners is nothing particularly exceptional and does not indicate any foul play. In fact that's what developers, honest and dishonest, mobbed-up or saints, hope to achieve. It's why they do business. 

    Now, I don't know much about Lee Lalli, the purchaser who has been portrayed by the Radio Canada reports as an inveterate mobster. I have heard him described as such as well but others more knowledgeable of the west end area where he operates describe him instead as a hard-working boot-strapper who has busted his ass to build a real estate empire.

   His head office is on St.. James W and he is a major supplier of gas pipes, or something to that effect (I'm not near my notes as I type) and he has personally built up much of the strip.

   Lalli is known to be able to handle himself as well. According to one anecdote a couple of years ago he was jumped by a couple of tough black guys and was said to have given as good as he got. He nevertheless conducted business as usual the next day, cuts and bruises and all.  

   The other recent Radio Canada report tying in with this question suggest recently that west end developer Tony Magi is suspected by police of ordering the murder of Nicholas Rizzuto, the son of Vito Rizzuto. 

   Magi and Nick were associated and Nick was murdered just steps away from Magi's office on Upper Lachine. 

   Magi had survived a shooting on Cavendish some time before and had beefed up his security and was said to have hired a bodyguard in the form of ferocious Ducarme Joseph to help him protect himself and possibly perform other duties. 

   The attempted hit on Magi was likely in retribution for loans Magi failed to repay, likely due to cost overruns at his various real estate developments. 

   One version has it that a well-known biker was behind that attempted killing.

   Radio Canada suggested that police sources believe that Magi had Nick Rizzuto killed because Vito's son might've been pestering Magi to pay back a debt as well. 

   I'm no mob insider, but it doesn't strike me entirely credible. 

Nick Rizzuto Jr. and Tony Magi

   One would have to be a hardcore psychopath to lure a friend to his death, particularly one with a father as powerful as Vito Rizzuo.

   Magi lives in NDG with his wife and kids in a home guarded full-time by a bodyguard sitting in a car out front. It's not secluded or hard to find.

   The car the security guard sits in is nothing special and he's not particularly scary and I doubt he's even armed.  

   I recently went to Magi's home for CTV Montreal to ask if he had a comment on these various stories. The bodyguard attempted to intercept me but I ignored him and rang the bell. 

   His wife, who is well-known in the area and someone I had personally seen around in the past, pleasantly opened the door and politely told me that she did not wish to make any comment. 

   Radio Canada tried the same thing but, unlike me, walked away when intercepted by the guard.

   Now it would be very nice to find out who killed Nicholas Rizzuto because it's an unsolved murder and nobody deserves to die. 

   But convicting a man who hasn't even been accused of the crime seems irresponsible for such a large media outlet.  

   The killer could have been sent by one of many parties, the D'Amico crew from Granby supposedly had a longstanding grudge with the Rizzutos, as did the Ontario-based Calabrian mobsters, possibly from the old Violi clan, Sal the Ironworker, street gangs, Colombian drug lords, New York's ruling mafia elite... the list of possible suspects is very long.