At a special meeting held on August 8, the municipal council of the Ville de Vaudreuil-Dorion adopted a notice of motion and a draft by-law to temporarily suspend the issuance of building permits for new housing in the Harwood - De Lotbinière sector, for a maximum period of two years.

Development in the Harwood - De Lotbinière sector has been so successful that the municipal council has decided to take some time to analyze and properly plan infrastructure and public facilities in relation to the sector's density potential.

A study carried out in 2016 by an external engineering firm, prior to the adoption of the PPU in 2017, confirmed that 565 housing units could be added to the existing network.

Beyond this figure, the City would need to make significant investments in the sanitary sewer network in order to begin another phase of the requalification. With the authorized projects, the City is on the verge of reaching the capacity mentioned in this report.

Such is the popularity of the area that the municipal council has deemed it necessary to put the brakes on new residential development projects in order to ensure coherent and realistic development.

The new provincial Act to amend the Act respecting land use planning and development and other provisions, assented to on June 1, 2023, amends the Municipal Powers Act to, among other things, allow local municipalities to temporarily suspend the issuance of authorizations likely to create needs that would exceed, in this case, the capacity of the sanitary sewer system.

"This new law allows us to react upstream by effectively planning our development and ensuring that the construction of new housing does not exceed the capacity of our sanitary sewer system. We want to take the time to properly plan these infrastructures and public facilities in line with the area's density potential," said General Manager Olivier Van Neste.

"What has happened to us is not a surprise, as we knew that we would need to increase the capacity of the sanitary sewer system in order to continue the requalification of the Harwood - De Lotbinière sector. We're a victim of our own success, which is good news in itself," added Mr. Van Neste.

It is important to note that this by-law does not apply to construction projects for which the permit application is substantially complete and compliant with the regulations in force on the date of filing of this by-law, and which have been the subject of a resolution to enter into an agreement for affordable, social and family housing in accordance with By-law no. 1818.

Moreover, this by-law does not affect the commercial sector. "Interest in the Harwood - De Lotbinière sector is exceeding our expectations, and its redevelopment is becoming more concrete than ever.However, before going any further, we need to continue our technical analysis in order to properly plan the improvements to be made, as well as their financing. Once our analysis is complete, we'll be in a position to grant building permits for new housing. The vitality of the Harwood - De Lotbinière sector, as well as the quality of life of the people who live nearby, is a priority for the municipal council," added Mayor Guy Pilon.

A public consultation meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the Town Hall, located at 2555 rue Dutrisac, and adoption of the by-law is scheduled for the September 18 council meeting.

About the Harwood - De Lotbinière PPU

Between October 2014 and October 2015, the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion undertook an extensive public consultation process as part of the project to revitalize Harwood Boulevard and the surrounding area. The Harwood - De Lotbinière PPU was adopted in the summer of 2017, along with amendments to the urban planning bylaws to incorporate the development vision for the area.Since then, numerous actions have been taken by the city, its partners and the sector's merchants with the aim of revitalizing it.Until the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable du Québec (MTMD) proceeds with the construction of the Highway 20 bypass, the city has put in place a number of projects and developments to improve the quality of life of the area's residents.To find out more about this vast revitalization project, please visit surharwood.com.