JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

Faced with strong opposition from residents, Vaudreuil-Dorion has scrapped its plans to build a three-storey affordable housing complex in a park area.

“Contrary to what the citizens are saying, we have listened to them, and we have understood that the opinion of the citizens in the area with regard to the project is irreversible,” said Mayor Guy Pilon at a meeting Monday as council voted to withdraw the project.

Residents who attended Monday’s meeting applauded the move.

Last Friday, the city had announced the project would be shelved, citing pushback from residents as one of the major reasons.

The project would have seen the construction of a three-storey structure comprised of 18 affordable housing units, each either with two or three bedrooms, and parking, on St. Michel Street. The residence was to be managed by Toit d’Abord, a non-profit specializing in affordable housing in Vaudreuil-Soulanges.

“We’d prefer to work on another project than to lose energy on that project,” Pilon said in an interview with The 1019 Report.

Residents opposed to the project had criticized the location, claiming it would eliminate space in Esther Blondin Park, obstructed the view of the Baie de Vaudreuil, and would be out of place in an area of mostly single-family houses. They also were upset the city had not conducted public consultations before selecting the location.

Faced with the criticism, Pilon had initially suggested that those against the project had intentionally closed their ears off to the council’s arguments.

“They tried everything,” Pilon said, pointing out various topics that residents complained about in relation to the project: “They tried the parking (lot), they tried the cycle path, they tried the height, they tried everything. They don’t want it.”

Another significant issue was the fact that the structure would have been located in a flood zone, according to a the new proposed map unveiled in September by the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal.

Pilon pointed out that the structure would have been elevated, with no basement, so as to avoid flood damage.

Questioned by the media in Quebec City last week, Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette called the notion of building an affordable housing project in a flood zone “irresponsible.”

Pierre Z. Séguin, a resident who had opposed the project, emphasized the residents are not against affordable housing, but rather where the city had chosen to build the facility and the lack of public consultation.

“I’d like to express my point of view very clearly,” Séguin said. “I agree with the construction of affordable housing, it’s the location that’s the problem, not the goal.”

 “I haven’t heard anybody say that they disagree with (building) affordable housing in the city,” he added.

The city is currently studying other locations where a future affordable housing project could be constructed.