Lépine demolished Drummond Court in the summer of 2000. The project was part of a deal with the city of Montreal and the Montreal YMCA to revamp the area, which had fallen into disrepair. The project was supported by Montreal Mayor Pierre Bourque, who alleviated hurdles throughout the development process. As part of the deal, the Montreal YMCA agreed to invest $20 million to renovate and relocate to the Norris Building, adjacent to Lépine's new project. Lépine announced he would develop twin, 340-unit apartment buildings named Lépine Towers at 1200 De Maisonneuve Boulevard Ouest for $80 million. The buildings changed names after Lépine sold the property to El-Ad Group during the final phase of construction in 2005. In 1997, Lépine entered public tender negotiations with the Canadian Department of National Defence to acquire a property they owned on Atwater Avenue, on the side of Mount Royal adjacent to Westmount, Quebec. The same year, the federal government offered the city of Montreal the chance to purchase the property for conservation, but Montreal city officials declined the offer in an official July 1997 correspondence. After failing to sell the property to the municipal government, the Canadian Department of National Defence sold the property to Canada Lands Company for $3.3 million in February 1999, a value the federal government had reviewed to be fair. Soon after, Lépine reached a tentative agreement to purchase the property from Canada Lands Company. Heritage Montreal founder Phyllis Lambert sent a petition with 160 signatures to Montreal Mayor Pierre Bourque, urging him to block Lépine's project. However, the city of Montreal granted his zoning request and overwhelmingly approved Lépine's project, voting 7-2 in favour, in March 1999, shortly before closing on the property. In April 1999, Lépine acquired the property for $4 million, which was the highest offer obtained by the public tender. As soon as Lépine closed on the property, some estimated its market value with new residential zoning at $20 million. Lépine announced the development of 55 single family homes and 9 condominiums. Lépine's purchase price raised questions as the federal crown corporation reported to Public Works Minister Alfonso Gagliano, a liberal, while Lépine had been a longtime donor to the Liberal Party of Canada. The price paid by Lépine was less than half the property's assessed value of $9 million, but in line with reviewed federal estimates. During his first year of ownership, Lépine paid