He was to rule Tuesday evening on the zoning change necessary for the construction of this social housing on part of Girard Park, near Sainte-Marguerite Street. Instead, he decided to remove it from the agenda, which likely seals the project’s fate, in this location at least.
It was a visibly disappointed mayor who spoke to the media following the councilors’ decision.
“To say no to 100 social housing doors for people aged 65 and over who would have had the opportunity to pay between 600 and 900 dollars in rent per month, yes it is a great disappointment. It’s going to be difficult to talk about a housing crisis after saying no to that. Now, it’s the council’s decision, I agree.”
— Jean Lamarche, mayor of Trois-Rivières
The City had targeted this land to host the Unitaînés project, an initiative by businessman Luc Maurice. Mission Unitains is a non-profit organization that builds social housing for the elderly. Ten buildings are planned in as many cities, including Shawinigan and Drummondville.
Cities only have to provide municipal land. Trois-Rivières was not initially selected, however, due to lack of available land. This is why she tried to identify a location where such a building could be erected. According to her, only this section of Girard Park meets the criteria of Unitains.
Councilors hope that the project can be done in another location. However, the City would have to acquire private land. The mayor doesn’t believe it. “Some advisors have expressed the wish that we find another piece of land, but going on the private side. It’s going to be too long. We won’t make it.”
The project had been on the table for several months, according to Mayor Lamarche. “At the start, we weren’t in the top ten. We managed to slip into these ten, but we have to admit that we have just lost our place in the ranking,” he laments.
A difficult decision
The advisors discussed the file for nearly an hour and a half on Tuesday afternoon during a preparatory meeting.
Aware of the importance of building social housing in the midst of a housing crisis, but also sensitive to the comments of the forty residents of the neighborhood who came to speak at a public meeting last week, councilors called the decision heartbreaking and heartbreaking. They believe that a less imposing project would be more acceptable.
“What we eventually want to do on the council side is to find a project that would be more socially acceptable to residents. Maybe less than six floors, but it will be up to us to see how we develop it,” explained Mayor Lamarche.
However, we will have to give up on the social housing of Unitaînés which offers buildings of a single size, i.e. six floors. The project was estimated to cost approximately $35 million. Usually, in this type of construction, the City must pay $40,000 to $60,000 per unit. However, this file did not require any investment on his part, apart from the land.
The six-story building would not have fit into the neighborhood, according to councilors. (Unitain Mission)
-According to some councilors, the planned building did not blend in harmoniously with the neighborhood. “I want the project to be well integrated with the environment. […] There is a clash between the current neighborhood and the projected situation,” mentioned Dany Carpentier.
“I think we should welcome a project like this in Trois-Rivières, but it’s not the right place,” added the La-Vérendrye district councilor.
“Six floors, that’s a monster in that park.”
— René Martin, Carrefours district councilor
“I feel uneasy about building in a green space to which citizens are very attached, where they have put their hearts, where they have planted trees,” argued Pascale Albernhe-Lahaie.
For his part, Daniel Cournoyer mentioned that this project would have a domino effect by freeing up housing. “It’s not just seniors that this will help. It will help our entire population, families, young people, older people. I will remind you that Trois-Rivières is an age-friendly city.”
The project would have occupied 12% of the area of Girard Park, which serves as a buffer zone between a residential district and an industrial park. (City of Trois-Rivières)
The project would have occupied 12% of the area of Girard Park, which serves as a buffer zone between a residential district and an industrial park. Councilor Dany Carpentier proposed that the City take the necessary measures to preserve the rest of the park.
The City is also considering transferring this portion of the park to the Trois-Rivières Sustainable Foundation to prevent it from being considered for future development. The City would continue to ensure its maintenance.
President of the Working Table on Social and Affordable Housing, Councilor Pierre Montreuil did not hide his disappointment with the council’s decision.
“There are 100 social housing doors that will not come to Trois-Rivières. It’s frustrating, it’s shocking. There are a lot of people who worked to make this happen. I still hope that we will do something else, but it is very unlikely that there will be 100 coming to us at once.
— Pierre Montreuil, Carmel district councilor
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