The City of Vaudreuil-Dorion's municipal council meeting on Monday, November 4 was sprinkled with boos and heartfelt applause. Unhappy about a real estate project to be built on a portion of the current Esther-Blondin park, some fifty citizens made their voices heard by the elected municipal officials.

Too many, some of them even had to stand at the entrance to the council chamber in the town hall to follow the session.

The project to build 18 affordable housing units on the lot at 25, Saint-Michel, in Vaudreuil-Dorion, has been far from unanimously supported by the population since its unveiling. If the project goes ahead, the regional organization Toit d'abord will manage the three-storey, six-unit apartment building.

The subject monopolized virtually the entirety of the meeting's two question periods. “ We received no fewer than 45 written questions on this subject,” confirmed Chief Magistrate Guy Pilon at the start of the public session.

A short presentation on the project was given by the city's general manager, Olivier Van Neste. “ 25 rue Saint-Michel is the projected address of the project. The land is owned by the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion and will be transferred to the Toit d'abord organization, subject to it obtaining the financing to complete the project. One parking space is planned for each dwelling, for a total of 18 for the entire project. The land area dedicated to the project will be 2,296 square meters, while the building will occupy an area of 600 square meters. The project will be 46% green. Semi-submerged containers will be integrated, as will charging stations for electric vehicles”, he summarized.

According to information shared during the evening, the cost of rent for these affordable units will be based on the neighborhood median and should hover around $1,000 per month. For its part, the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal, through one of its programs offered to its member communities, will reimburse 20% of the land acquisition cost.

Concerns about the sanitary network and the chosen sector

Interested citizens then took to the microphone to question the elected officials about the project. “ Can the sanitary network in this sector accommodate these 30 new housing units if we include in this calculation the 18 apartments in this project and those currently under construction at 15 rue Saint-Michel?” asked one citizen.

“ Absolutely, it can do it. The area was once home to the Manoir de Vaudreuil. So it's not an issue,” let the mayor of Vaudreuil-Dorion know.

“ Is the land located in a flood zone? “ questioned another.” According to the recent map issued by the government, the area is indeed located in a flood zone. However, I have met with two ministers in recent months who have assured me that they are set to change. I would also like to mention that the building would be elevated to avoid being flooded during snowmelt or spring floods,” replied Guy Pilon.

Citizen Pierre Séguin, who has campaigned for the completion of the Highway 20 bypass in recent months, took his turn to speak. “ No one here is against this affordable housing project.However, we do wonder about the choice of site for the project. How did you decide that this was the right site to build these buildings?” he asked.

"When we bought the land, the park wasn't as big as it is today. The Manoir de Vaudreuil occupied one of the lots. At the outset, it was established that we were acquiring the land so that no private development would take place on it. This will be the case if the project goes ahead. It's a quality site. The park will remain accessible to the public. It will still be possible to go there for a picnic or to launch a boat. The cycle path will be diverted slightly. In future, there will be more surveillance on site to ensure that the boat launch and parking lot are used only by Vaudreuil-Dorion residents. This gesture is intended to alleviate the parking problem in the area. There may be occasional parking problems during the summer season, but that's part of neighborhood life," said Guy Pilon.

Another citizen suggested building the project on the site of the municipal library on rue Jeannotte, which will soon be vacant. “ It would be very expensive to modify it and bring it up to standard. At least three or four million dollars. In any case, we have no intention of demolishing the building, because we want to house organizations in it and keep it as a satellite building after the relocation of the municipal library,” Guy Pilon replied.

Right of first refusal on other lots

With a view to developing affordable housing on its territory in the future, the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion has adopted a resolution subjecting five lots to the right of first refusal.They are located at 56-60-70-72-74 rue Jeannotte.

For the purposes of infrastructure or public facilities and public, natural and park spaces, the City has also filed rights of first refusal on nine lots. These are located on rue Valois (208, 196-198, 190, 176, 168-172, 160-164), rue Cousinseau (101-105) and avenue Charbonneau (90).

“ Our goal in developing affordable housing on our territory is to enable local residents to stay as long as possible,” confided Mr. Pilon during the meeting.

“ We can see that your idea is already done.We've been had.We don't feel listened to, and we feel there's nothing we can do to change your mind.It's distressing", concluded one citizen.

“ We hear your concerns about this project. We're going to discuss it again among ourselves to see how we can improve the project based on your concerns. At this point, I'd say the project is 95% complete,” admitted the mayor.That same evening, the council unanimously adopted a resolution allowing conditional use and the construction of a three-storey residential building on the site. For their part, the citizens vowed not to give up on the project.