English stories

A future urban pole in Faubourg Châteauguay

le jeudi 15 décembre 2022
Modifié à 13 h 26 min le 15 décembre 2022
Par Paula Dayan-Perez

pdayan-perez@gravitemedia.com

Model of the proposed public square. (Image : Courtesy - City of Châteauguay)

The City of Châteauguay wants to develop a regional hub at the intersection of Highway 30 and Route 132, better known as the Châteauguay Faubourg. This consists of a variety of predominantly residential real estate projects, but also businesses and public spaces.

Translation Amanda Bennett

The municipality presented its plan for the revitalization of Faubourg Châteauguay on December 12 at a public meeting. The proposed project was elaborated following a survey conducted this summer to which 923 people responded, the City announced.

In order to respect sustainable development guidelines, the 102.27-hectare area would be developed in density, with buildings of varying heights, explained the city’s Director General, Karl Sacha Langlois. At the junction of Route 132 and chemin de la Haute-Rivière, the administration is recommending buildings that could exceed 10 storeys. 

The centre of the site would be built at medium heights, and then the edge, i.e. the sectors adjacent to other projects already built, would be at lower heights, 2 to 6 stories.

This density would free up ground space for the development of green infrastructure and pedestrian paths to encourage socialization. In particular, a public square is proposed. The city also wants to ensure that there are connections between the Faubourg and the La TraVERTsée outdoor and biodiversity corridor, as well as an active transportation network.

The land use plan for the project proposed. (Image : Screen capture - City of Châteauguay)

Finally, the municipality wants the project to encourage multi-generational living spaces by creating an environment that is conducive to a seniors’ residence and daycare facilities.

“When you get to a certain age, it’s not going to be easy to maintain a house with a large lot,” the Director General said. “[This project would provide] an opportunity to get out of your house, go for a walk, hear the sparrows sing and, at the same time, sit with your friends, have a cup of coffee, while watching young children play.”

Partnership with Westcliff

The City of Châteauguay is preparing a Special Planning Program to urge the project development along.
Westcliff, the owner of the land, will carry that out. “We share the main objectives of this project,” said Marc Montpetit, portfolio manager for the Faubourg Châteauguay project at Westcliff, in an email to the Le Soleil de Châteauguay. 

Montpetit added that the company has informed the municipality of certain modifications “that should be made to make it feasible, taking into account the realities of the market,” without providing further details.

Questions and comments

At the public meeting, several citizens expressed concerns about the capacity of municipal infrastructure, such as the drinking water system, to accommodate more people.

“There are investments being made to accommodate these developments and to meet the demand for water,” Langlois said. “[These will be municipal infrastructures that will respond to new contemporary realities, obviously. We’re in a sector where everything is going to be newly done. So, there’s no concern.”

Interested parties can send their questions or comments on the project to the municipality at rlevesqueo-ppu@ville.chateauguay.qc.ca until December 19. For more information on the project, visit the City of Châteauguay's website.