Discussion on Zoning and Future Projects – Chateauguay – July 4th, 2018

Pierre M. — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 04:47:39 +0000

Good Evening all!

The meeting ran a little long tonight, so here’s just a brief recap of the 3 topics discussed tonight. I’ll post the rest tomorrow in the discussion group.

The new St-Gaulle 7-story tower that will be situated behind the bowling alley (next to Mini-General). The promoter attended and talked about the benefits of his project, however, there were many questions and concerns from citizens who attended. The biggest issue is how crowded and disorganized the current layout is, and adding 85+ units will only make the situation worse.

There is no fixed timeline for this project to get underway, but ground could break as early as next spring and possibly by the fall 2019. If it takes any longer than that, the project must then be resubmitted and the process starts over again.

I know that most people on here are very interested in hearing about the Ch. St-Bernard area zoning, and it’s a topic very close to me as well. Most of the original development plans that we’ve seen over the last several months and years have been tossed due to a recent change in the city limits. The land across from the treatment plant and behind Robert has now been handed over to Kahnawake, so no development will be possible anymore there.

The city is looking to change the zoning in the area, which currently allows for 3-4 story houses and condos, but with a zoning change, it will only permit single family housing and duplexes. More discussion will be done to possibly force a lower density, which will potentially make the wetlands less attractive to potential developers.

So, from my understanding, this is potentially a good thing, or at the very least, a lesser of two evils. The land has to be available for development, but zoning at the lowest density possible, might not attract many developers, since it will mean less profits.

Ideally the land should be protected and allow the wildlife to live, and the public to enjoy. Plus it acts as a great big sponge to help protect the current houses from flooding. Those who attended the meeting requested an environmental study to make sure the land always stays protected, but it would cost over $100,000 for the study, and the city wants to put this on the potential developer rather than the tax payer. The city will also not give any incentives for those who want to build here. So the costs could far outweigh any potential profits.

It’s still a dossier I will be following very closely, but at the moment I feel it’s too soon to be concerned, as it could potentially be 5-10 years or longer before this topic even comes up again. It all depends on Transport Quebec, Kahnawake and promoters, developers and the city of Chateauguay.

There will be registry to demand a referendum, which would require 12 signatures from those residing in the area. However, this referendum would not prevent the construction, or protect the land from developers. This zoning change is to lower the density of any future development. A future referendum will only happen if any potential project is accepted, and that’s when residents can step in and try and block any development. Right now it’s just a zoning change to make the land less appealing to development. (So potentially a good thing for us?)

Finally tonight, the city is also looking to approve zoning for the towing industry in the industrial park. Presently there is one towing company, which the Mayor has a personal interest in. Also modifying the zone to allow up to 10 shipping containers for police and insurance companies to use, so they can protect vehicles that could be involved in court cases. Currently shipping containers are not permitted to push building owners to add new permanent buildings rather than temporary storage, but a container in this case is a method for police to store vehicles.

And that’s about it for tonight. Lots more to talk about, but I will continue tomorrow. I also have more pictures of the future projects discussed tonight.

Stay tuned for more, and as always, thanks for your support!

Voting – Pierre M's Photographic Journey

Discussion on Zoning and Future Projects – Chateauguay – July 4th, 2018