If it seems like high-rise apartment buildings are popping up like weeds in Châteauguay, you’re not imagining things. 2025 was a record-breaking year with 662 housing constructions, the highest number in 35 years, according to data from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). The first 12-storey high-rise has already been completed, and there are more to come.

Translation Amanda Bennett

The housing project data available on CMHC’s website dates back to 1990. Over the past 35 years, only 2015 came close to 2025’s total, with 603 housing projects. In fact, the city of Châteauguay ranked 8^th on the 2025 list of cities with the strongest growth in residential housing start rates, compiled by the Association des professionnels de la construction du Québec. This represents a 330% increase compared to the previous year.

There have been 321 new housing units since the beginning of 2026, according to data from the City of Châteauguay.

Châteauguay is transforming

Châteauguay, a suburban city where the bungalow once reigned supreme, is transforming and making way for higher-density buildings. The first 12-story residential tower, located on René-Lévesque Boulevard, welcomed its first residents in July. To date, 200 people live there, according to Félix Duguay, who oversees leasing for the 284 units at Livéo Châteauguay. A second tower is also under construction and will be ready next year. Although the building is open to everyone, more than half of the tenants are retirees, according to Mr. Duguay.

“We have retirees who, gradually, want to shed the responsibilities that come with owning a home. They want a pied-à-terre but want to spend more time camping or travelling, so they’re turning to renting,” he explains. The proximity to employment hubs such as the Anna-Laberge Hospital also attracts a clientele of young professionals.

Quintcap, a company specializing in residential real estate development, had previously focused its activities mainly in Brossard and La Prairie, but it has just completed construction of four buildings with 52 units in its project called Square Châteauguay, located on Principale Street.

The site of a former car dealership on Principale Street in Châteauguay was a great opportunity, according to Paul Martin, Vice-President of Quintcap. “We found it to be a very, very good area. Principale Street is no longer the commercial street it once was. There’s the senior centre nearby, the hospital, the waterfront […] There are plenty of advantages.”

Another advantage that Châteauguay offers the developer is the price of land, which is lower than elsewhere on the South Shore. “In Brossard, if you want to buy land, you’ll pay $100 to $150 per square foot. Land is getting so expensive that to make it profitable, you really have to undertake large-scale projects to fit as many units as possible on the lot,” explained Mr. Martin. His vision for Châteauguay is to offer “a quality product that can be rented at a reasonable price.” Much like at Livéo, the tenant base at Square Châteauguay consists mainly of retirees or local professionals.

A few projects underway

Aside from the Livéo and Square Châteauguay, here are a few other real estate projects currently under construction. There’s the Le 205 project, located on Primeau Boulevard, which will feature 65 rental units spread over three floors. The Vivaxcès Châteauguay, on Saint-Francis Boulevard, will have 114 units. The four-story building, which is replacing the former Botanix on D’Anjou, will have about 20 housing units. Le 116, a project located on Principale Street, will also have about 20 units.

In the single-family housing sector, the Richardson project stands out, with townhouses and semi-detached homes being built near Salaberry Nord and Chemin Saint-Bernard. The Bergerie project, in the area named after the street of the same name, includes 16 lots for detached single-family homes.

Development will undoubtedly continue in Châteauguay in the coming years. Notable examples include Terre Faubert, the lots located at the soon-to-be-realigned intersection of Industriel and Saint-Francis Boulevards, and the 12-story tower on Maple Boulevard.