Land use

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

The regional government has appointed Claudia André as project manager. She will oversee the harmonization of the region’s land-use and development plan with the new orientations in land-use planning, established by the provincial government, that come into effect on December 1. The document must also correspond to objectives set out in the Politique nationale de l’architecture et de l’aménagement du territoire (PNAAT).

In a statement, the MRC says the revision of the SAD will enable it to better respond to regional challenges and define an ambitious future for the territory.

After more than a decade, the MRC du Haut-Saint-Laurent is overhauling its Schéma d’aménagement et de développement (SAD).

André describes the land-use and development plan as “a tool that deals with the environment, living environments, social and economic issues, cultural particularities, natural environments, tourism, mobility, and public spaces.”

The first plan of this kind was adopted in 1987, and a revised version was applied in 2000. This iteration will establish the region’s physical organization over the next 20 years. It will become one of the main planning tools for the choices and decisions affecting the MRC and its 13 municipalities.

André will oversee each stage of the project: updating the territorial portrait including the natural, social and economic environments; creating a strategic vision statement that adapts provincial policies to local realities; and formulating development orientations and objectives that address issues including transportation, infrastructure, and landslide stress areas. As well, an action plan will be drafted that sets out concrete objectives and actions for the region’s sustainable development, with a complementary document providing the rules and obligations that municipalities will need to include in urban-planning bylaws.

André says that once the plan is adopted in 2028 it will be available to elected officials and citizens, adding that it will serve as a consensus-building tool that reflects discussions and agreements between the municipalities, the MRC, and the provincial government. She says it will list timetables, different partners, and various methods for carrying out projects that are favoured at the regional level.

The MRC is encouraging the public to participate in the revision process. André says that while specific details have not been confirmed, the process will include public presentations, discussion tables, themed workshops, guided activities, a survey, a comment box, and a large-scale conference.