BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1510 West

The Town of Ste. Anne de Bellevue has taken what its mayor has described as a “visionary and courageous” step with its new urban plan and turned an old stereotype of life in the suburbs on its head by planning for the town’s future growth by not expanding it as a bedroom community, but as a place where young professionals will come to work.

“I’m happy with it,” said Ste. Anne Mayor Paola Hawa in an interview with The 1510 West, referring to the municipality’s urban plan that was submitted to public feedback earlier this month. “I’m proud of it.”

“Our densification is economic densification around the train station. That is what we are doing,” Hawa said, explaining that unlike in many other suburban municipalities, Ste. Anne has made its planning objectives clear. It wants to attract more businesses to its industrial park in the north end of the town, north of Highway 40, in the immediate area around the new Anse à l’Orme REM light rail station, which is expected to go into service later this year.

Hawa wants to leverage the location of the light rail station as a feature that will help firms attract a workforce to the industrial park, explaining that the new transit system does not have to only be seen as a means of transportation to allow residents of Ste. Anne to access work in other areas of the island.

“Come and work here,” she said, explaining the train will make it easy for Montrealers to now work in Ste. Anne.

Ste. Anne has about 60 to 100 hectares of land in its industrial park that ca be developed, and the urban plan makes it clear what that development will look like. Hawa says the town is looking for research and development firms and urban technology facilities, which provide high-paying career opportunities for professionals in areas of activity that will address economic sectors aimed at the future, while banning facilities like distribution warehouses that provide low-paying jobs and create traffic.

“We’re thinking for the 2040s,” Hawa said.

All new buildings in the industrial park will have to include plans for either a green or white roof, Hawa said. A green roof is designed to support vegetation and capture carbon, while a white roof is made of white materials that reflect light to avoid heat islands.

The economic densifications, she said, also lightens the taxation burden from the residential sector of the municipality.

The town’s 279-page urban plan, which was first put forward last November and was the focus of a public register earlier this month, did not attract any opposition. According to Ste. Anne clerk’s office, no one signed the register held Jan. 13, expressing opposition to the proposed changes. A total of 379 signatures were required to push the new plan to a town-wide referendum.

The plan outlines regulations for everything from the use of temporary winter car shelters to parking areas, signage on commercial establishments to setbacks for residential construction along with town-wide zoning regulations. It has now been submitted to the Montreal Agglomeration, where it will be reviewed to ensure that it meets with the regional government’s planning guidelines.

Among the residential sector, the plan allows for three degrees of housing densification – low-, medium- and high-density developments. Low-density areas are mainly located in the eastern and northern sectors of the village area and built areas in the town’s northern sector and are characterized by single-family homes. Medium-density areas remain in the area north of Ste. Anne Street and south of Highway 20 and small pockets near the commuter train station. They are characterized by residential structures of one to four units each. High-density sectors, which include buildings of three to eight storeys, are limited to four small specific areas in the village area south of Highway 20 and four small areas immediately around Highway 40.

Cutline:

Map shows the zoning plan for the village sector of Ste. Anne de Bellevue that is included in the town’s new urban plan.