Deschênes residents participate in consultation about possible new housing development near the Aylmer Vanier intersection
Greg Newing
Residents of Aylmer’s Deschênes neighbourhood participated in a public consultation about a possible new housing development on Monday June 13. The consultation took place at the Hotel Doubletree’s conference hall on rue Aylmer and was organized by the development company Novatio Immobilier in collaboration with Hugo Mimee, a public participation consultant.
The proposed area for the development is in the southeast corner of the intersection of chemin d’Aylmer and chemin Vanier (between rue Lynn and chemin d’Aylmer). The developers presented three possible scenarios during the evening in order to give residents an idea of what the future housing development might look like. The first scenario includes three 2-4 story apartment buildings with parking spaces, the second scenario includes a mixture of 4-5 story and 8-10 story apartment buildings, the third scenario includes several larger 12-15 story apartment buildings with a new public park and soccer field. The three scenarios, however, do not represent actual plans but only preliminary ideas as the project is still in its very early stages and nothing has been approved by the city yet.
Participants discussed each of the scenarios with the developers and then divided into smaller groups to brainstorm ideas about what could be included in the future development such as publicly accessible green spaces and safe and convenient parking for bikes. Participants also identified various areas of concern such as whether the new development would lead to increased traffic or and how it might affect the forested areas and streams nearby. The Novatio Immobilier team expressed their appreciation for the participation of community members in the consultation noting that they hope to create a project that is responsive to the community’s perspective and “viable in the long term”.
There will be another public consultation about the “Communaté Aylmer-Vanier” development in the Fall. However, all Aylmer residents are invited to use an online platform in order to discuss ideas for the project and to pose questions which will inform the next consultation. The Novatio Immobilier team encouraged residents to use the platform noting that the greater number of views and concerns that are expressed the better their plans for the development can be.
To access the online platform visit: aylmervanier.cocoriko.org
In order to use the platform, you will need to create an account by clicking “Create an account” and following the onscreen instructions. After creating an account, you can select one of the three topics for consultation by clicking on one of the images to the right. Each topic includes several proposals on which you can vote and comment. To submit your own proposal which can be voted for and commented on by other residents, click the blue “Rédiger une idée” button. Proposals can be written in French or in English and can be submitted anonymously.
If residents have questions for the developers about the proposed development or would like to contact them directly for any other reason, they can write to: info@novatioimmobilier.com.
Caption: Residents of the Deschênes neighbourhood discuss plans for a new housing development with developers Novatio Immobilier. Photo credit: Greg Newing