In the Beaux-Arts neighborhood of Montpellier, local residents are working together to protect their community from development projects they believe favor private interests over social and ecological values. At the heart of the debate is the Cité bergère, a private plot used for market gardening. In August 2025, the city council, led by socialist mayor Michaël Delafosse, approved building permits for two 15-meter-high structures covering nearly 8,000 square meters (m2), with a portion of the land to remain for cultivation. A local group called "Préservons la Cité bergère" has gathered 26,000 signatures on a petition, arguing that the project would reduce the cultivated area from 4,400 to 1,800 square meters. The city claims that the new PLUi (Intercommunal Urban Planning Scheme) and PLUiC (Intercommunal Urban Planning Scheme for Climate) have limited the buildable area to 20% of the parcel, leaving the rest untouched. However, the group disputes this, saying the consultation process was flawed and conducted only online. The group’s lawyer, Tamaris Fürstenheim, accuses the city of "greenwashing," a term used to describe superficial efforts to appear environmentally friendly without making real changes. She raises concerns about flood risks and a protected pine tree located in a classified wooded area. She argues that the city has not met its ecological promises, as the preserved land may not be used for agriculture but instead turned into a park or other non-agricultural green space. The city defends the project, insisting it is a private initiative and that it has made progress with the new urban planning schemes. Residents are also resisting plans to open a large retail chain in a nearby building, which they believe could harm the neighborhood’s 30 small businesses. The building, once a gym and dance hall, has been empty since 2021. Thomas Champigny, from the Beaux-Arts Pierre Rouge association, questions the need for a large store in a pedestrian-friendly area and suggests using mediation tools to involve residents in deciding the building’s future. Opposition councilor Julia Mignacca supports this approach, highlighting the importance of community input in such decisions. The Beaux-Arts neighborhood has a long history of resident-led activism, including efforts to preserve the Père Prévost stadium in the early 2010s. At that time, residents successfully opposed a real estate project that would have turned the site into 300 housing units. Today, the stadium is used by sports clubs and neighborhood associations. Current residents continue to resist what they see as rising real estate speculation and the loss of the neighborhood’s Mediterranean character and village-like atmosphere.