Terre Faubert : the city adopts the special urban plan

On Monday, the City of Châteauguay officially adopted the special urban plan or Plan particulier d'urbanisme (PPU)  that will be used to guide development in the Terre Faubert sector.

Translation Amanda Bennett

At the outset of the municipal council meeting, Mayor Eric Allard made it clear that the adoption of the PPU did not mean that construction would begin any time soon. “It’s just one of many steps before any permits are issued for construction,” he said.

Terre Faubert, the 29-hectare site along Highway 30 between Saint-Jean-Baptiste and Pierre-Boursier boulevards, has been the subject of much discussion in Châteauguay in recent months. At present, the land is abandoned farmland with a wooded area. The landowner would like to develop it for residential purposes.

PPU Guidelines

The PPU adopted by the city sets out guidelines for the development of this area. For example, it imposes a vegetated buffer zone to separate the existing musical village neighbourhood from the Terre Faubert district. The maximum height of buildings near the district will be three storeys. The height of buildings near the highway will vary from 4 to 12 storeys.

The city will require that a minimum of 35% of the territory be protected. According to the Mayor, if the green spaces to be created as part of the project are added, this will represent around 50% of the site.

A citizens’ movement has been opposing development in this area for several months. A petition with 7,700 names was posted online in March, calling for the protection of this natural environment rather than authorizing construction in the area.

From the outset, the City of Châteauguay said it was in favour of developing this land, which is already located within the urban perimeter, arguing that this would help increase the supply of housing in the current crisis.

I can’t say I’m not disappointed,” said Chantal Payant, a citizen who became involved in the hope of convincing the city to protect Terre Faubert. During the October 24 [consultation on the subject], there were many calls for the city to take its time, think it over and see the new orientations that will be in effect on December1, see the new PMAD (metropolitan land use and development plan)”.

Ms. Payant asked the municipal council to continue the dialogue with citizens who take an interest in this issue. To which the mayor replied that the city has already met with citizens on three occasions.

“There’s going to be a stage where the landowner will come and present his project and we [the City] will be there and there will be more discussions. The PPU is a vision, not a project,” emphasized Mr. Allard. The presentation is scheduled for 2025. After that, there will be three to four years of studies. It’s a development project that would be developed over 10 to 15 years.