2023-10-15 09:00:00
This seven-story building will be added to the numerous constructions that will appear in the coming years in this sector, in particular with the vast Masson project of the Custeau Group, which is planning 800 units a few steps away.
The Mille Hectares Group project, also a Sherbrooke developer, is not left out since it also includes four other more modest buildings, between three and four floors, which will bring together 340 new units, for a total of 510 additional doors in this future district of Fleurimont, confirmed this week the president of the company, Marc-Étienne Brien.
We are here south of Highway 610, but closer to Brûlotte Street than the Masson project, and still on the east side of 12th Avenue North. As the zoning in this location already allows four-story buildings, a modification granted last year, this portion of the project will be able to move forward as early as 2024, Mr. Brien predicts.
The municipal council has now authorized the seven-story building during its last meeting, on October 3. We are requesting an eight-meter buffer strip with an existing single-family residence and the project must be subject to the implementation and architectural integration plan for 12th Avenue North, called “borough entrance”.
Mr. Brien aims for between 10 and 15% affordability in his 170-unit building. Part of the parking will be interior, with 120 spaces, while 84 spaces are planned outside.
What densification?
The adoption was, however, contested in session by the local councilor, Joanie Bellerose. She said she was “not able to make an informed decision”, particularly due to uncertainties regarding the impact of the project on traffic or underground infrastructure.
It also targeted “high densification” in an area where there are single-family residences. For “similar concerns”, his colleague Christelle Lefèvre also expressed her dissent, speaking for her part of “a little brutal” densification.
Comparing with the Masson project, which she supported, Ms. Bellerose argued that the Custeau Group project exploits the topography of the land to “lower the building” so that it integrates better into its environment.
Conversely, Hélène Dauphinais shared that she did not understand “that people are opposed to the arrival of 170 housing units” in a context of shortage.
Invited to comment, Marc-Étienne Brien indicated that his project nevertheless meets “exactly what the new council, and especially the new municipal party, is asking developers to do. That is to say, not to create new streets, to build alongside existing streets and to densify as much as possible. We tick all these boxes with this project.”
He also assures that he has already provided a capacity study to the City which demonstrates that there is no question of infrastructure and that the seven-story building “will barely be visible [à partir des rues existantes derrière le projet] due to the wooded mountain and the unevenness of our land.” Visual models have even been produced to illustrate this point.
Where to densify?
More broadly, Ms. Bellerose sees this situation as one of the examples of shortcomings resulting from the absence of an urban plan in Sherbrooke, a project currently under construction at city hall. She considers it illogical to study the requests individually without having an adequate “overall view” in terms of land use planning.
The elected representative of Sherbrooke citizen nevertheless admits to being in favor of densification. “But where do we want it? And where do we want medium, gentle, high densification? », she questions to illustrate the lack of clear vision. Ms. Bellerose is also calling for a specific urban planning plan for this “fast-developing” sector in her district.
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