JOHN JANTAK
The 1510 West

With residential construction projects already in the works on Sources Blvd. in Dollard des Ormeaux, the city last week signalled it is seeking to see its population grow in the coming years as it plans for several residential projects along other major arteries.

Among plans highlighted in public information sessions were two residential projects currently under construction at the intersection of Brunswick Blvd. and Davignon St., next to Promenades Sources – a 12-storey complex and a 14-storey high-rise.

Work on another eight-storey residential building recently broke ground at the intersection of Sources Blvd. and Hyman St. which is next to the Faubourg Dollard des Ormeaux.

Several projects are also being considered along St. Jean Blvd., including around the Blue Haven and Shakespeare commercial plazas.

“We’re looking at our boulevards that are in industrial and commercial zones and saying, ‘How can we retool these to meet the needs and demands of our future residents by bringing in a residential element,’ ” Dollard Mayor Alex Bottausci said.

“The urban plan has not been touched since 1982,” Bottausci added. “Some 40 years later, we don’t have a harmonious urban plan.”

Part of the city’s strategy as it revises its urban plan, officials said, is to encourage commercial space on the ground floor of new residential buildings.

This would help to support local commercial activities and “offer a wider range of housing types to meet needs of a greater number of citizens,” said Kerri-Lynn Strotmann, section chief with the city’s department of urban planning and territorial management.

Among the areas that would see the addition of residential units in what are now exclusively commercial zones is the Marché de l’Ouest mall on De Salaberry Blvd. The city is proposing to allow nine-storey residential buildings on the property while maintaining the existing indoor and outdoor retail space, including conserving the popular outdoor farmers’ market.

“There are certain elements we are bringing in,” Bottausci said. “And what residents have asked for is not only the residential component being added in for mixed use, but also how these buildings will be built, the materials that will be used and their proximity to transportation.”

The city also aims to introduce what it terms sustainable mobility strategies into its new urban plan to encourage active transportation corridors to the REM commuter rail stations at St. Jean and Sources boulevards by optimizing the bus network and expanding its bicycle paths.

The city’s strategy is “to create stimulating living environments on a human scale, while addressing housing issues,” Strotmann said.

The goal of the two public information sessions held last Thursday and Saturday at the civic centre was to present the urban plan to its residents “to validate its acceptability with the population,” Strotmann added.

The aim of the public consultation process is to continue getting feedback from residents regarding the city’s proposed urban development plans.

“Not everything will happen within the next year, just as not all sectors with transformation potential will be developed within the next year,” Strotmann said. “The planning horizon is part of a long-term perspective of 10 to 15 years.”