Peter Black
June 5, 2024
Local Journalism Initiative reporter
The city has slated public consultations on June 12 for a fast-tracked 13-storey apartment building in Ste-Foy.
In a May 29 announcement, Mayor Bruno Marchand said the city is using its newly acquired powers under Bill 31 to speed up approval of the project, called Laforest, at the intersection of Rue de la Forest and Chemin Saint-Louis.
The mayor said the law “allows the construction of residential projects to be authorized within considerably shorter time frames than those provided for in the law on development and urban planning.”
He said the city’s housing crisis, with a vacancy rate of less than one per cent, justifies greenlighting the 350-unit project, which might otherwise take more than a year for approval.
The complex is a project of Groupe Stratera Inc., which calls itself an avant-garde real estate developer. According to concept images, it would have two taller buildings of up to 13 storeys located behind two six-storey buildings fronting the street.
The project is located on a lot that currently has a shopping mall with a pizza restaurant, a pharmacy, a beauty salon, a bakery and a tire store. The city says preparatory construction will begin during the summer, with units available for occupancy in 2026.
The QCT has learned the pizzeria, drugstore and beauty salon will be included in the Laforest project. Valérie Routh, co-owner of Piazzetta Saint-Louis, said because the project will be done in two phases, her restaurant will be able to move out of its current location and into the new building, with street frontage, once it is completed.
She said she and the other tenants are currently negotiating new lease terms with the developer.
As for the rental units, the mayor acknowledged there are no specific provisions at this point for a dedicated amount of social housing. He said in a Journal de Québec report that the Laforest project will free up more affordable housing when the new occupants move into the building.
That explanation did not satisfy Limoilou Coun. and Transition Québec Leader Jackie Smith. “It is unacceptable that we give a boost to this type of project without requiring the presence of social housing in return. There is money allocated to the Rent Supplement Program which is sitting in the coffers,” she said in a statement.
A factor contributing to the city’s decision to employ the fast-track law is that “it is a low-carbon residential and commercial project which will be powered by geothermal energy,” the mayor said. It will also feature a public park square and a green roof.
The consultation, at which city officials will explain details of the project, will take place at the Centre de Glaces Intact Assurance on Ave. De Rochebelle at 6:30 p.m. on June 12.
City council needs to approve the fast-track designation of the project by a majority vote at its June 18 meeting. Further information on the Laforest project can be found on the city’s website.
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This image shows the proposed Laforest project at the northwest corner of Rue de la Forest and Chemin Saint-Louis.
Image from Groupe Stratera