Plans for constructing apartment buildings on Samuel-Edey raises concerns about lack of infrastructure

Sophie Demers

 

The Project La Croisée is a residential project that will be constructed on lot 3 114 044 which is the plot of land behind the new high school, École secondaire de la Nouvelle-Ère near the Centre Aquatique Paul Pelletier. The plot of land goes along rue Samuel-Edey to rue McConnell. It is located in the Deschênes district.
Gerik Construction is the company in charge of the project. They submitted a request to the City to expand their plans from a 42-unit residential project to a 195-unit project, which they labelled Phase 1B of Projet La Croisée.
Gille Chagnon, Councillor for the Lucerne District, tells the Bulletin that he is concerned with population growth in Aylmer, which has been growing quickly over the years, but not followed by an increase in municipal services.
“Municipal services need to be increased. The requested and approved change increases the number of housing units on this property from 42 to 195,” said Chagnon in a Facebook post on the subject. “To me, it doesn’t make sense to go further with residential development without meeting the municipal service needs in the Aylmer area. I will continue to fight for that.”
The overall population of Aylmer has had an 18.33% rise since 2011, one of the largest increases in Quebec. According to Chagnon, the population growth is exceeding the projected numbers that the city estimated.
The new apartment buildings will be located in the La Croisée community. La Croisée Community Association conducted a survey to understand how residents felt about Phase 1B of the residential project. Many comments echoed Chagnon’s concerns about the project.
When asked “As the entrance/exit is only from the south, will Vanier Road be busier?” Thirty-three participants said yes, two said no, and eight others had other comments. Many residents are concerned that the new development will cause circulation and traffic issues especially on Vanier, which is already a high traffic area. Overall, residents are concerned about proper urban planning.
When asked if they believed the densification of the population was inevitable, 22 survey participants said no, 12 said yes, and eight had indicated ‘other’. The survey also indicated that residents hope to have public spaces where they can gather, as well as electric car charging stations.
Deschênes Councillor Caroline Murray had been in communication with the residence association to discuss the changes to the project. The resident association says they were assured that there would be further consultations throughout the process and planning of the project.
Photo 1: courtesy of the City of Gatineau
Cap: design for the apartment buildings
Photo 2: City of Gatineau Atlas
Cap: The lot where the future apartments complexes will be built