“We are not at war with the promoters. But, cursed, we say to ourselves that the Lehouillier administration played its cards badly, says the municipal councilor of the Christ-Roi district, Alexandre Fallu. We must do better in the future.”
The elected official from Repensons Lévis represents the city center of the Desjardins borough, where high-rise construction is accelerating.
Wednesday, The sun reported the official delivery of the first phase of the Fitz, the tallest strictly residential tower in the Quebec region, the construction of which caused much discussion in the neighborhood. “For the citizens I represent and for me, it’s a bit of a symbol of how our neighborhood is changing.”
The report also reported the approval of a project for two new 21-story towers on Guillaume-Couture Boulevard.
The construction of the new complex, named “Le Rinfret”, will be managed by the same developer as Le Fitz, the Pellimo firm. All that remains is administrative formalities before the construction site planned at 5355-5359 boulevard Guillaume-Couture is officially authorized by Lévis.
Pellimo’s new project, “Le Rinfret”, plans two 21-story towers on Guillaume-Couture Boulevard, opposite where Logisco is currently building District GC. (Frédéric Matte/Le Soleil)
Councilor Fallu and Repensons Lévis are opposed to the project. “It doesn’t respect the neighborhood and the people who live there,” he insists, noting the proximity between the towers proposed by the developer and the residential neighborhood just behind. “We don’t take them into consideration at all.”
Just opposite, a dozen-story project led by Logisco is under construction. “We fought so that the promoters [du District GC] are going back to the drawing board to propose something that fits better and respects the neighborhood. Finally, we authorize two 21-story towers on the other side of the street,” exasperates the local municipal representative.
Repensons Lévis councilor Alexandre Fallu represents the Christ-Roi district, the heart of the Desjardins borough.
(Jocelyn Riendeau/Le Soleil Archives)
Lack of courage
According to Alexandre Fallu, Lévis should have tightened its standards in recent years, as soon as real estate developers began to show interest in the South Shore.
“It seems like everything was poorly planned. Yes, we need densification, housing and investors, but the City must have the courage to set its guidelines, he insists. What is being built now will change the life of the neighborhood for the next 100 years.”
The Lehouillier administration, for example, should not have backed down on its intention to cap the towers on Guillaume-Couture and President-Kennedy, according to Repensons Lévis.
In April, the mayor and his team reported to the city council their intention to limit new construction around President Kennedy Road to 15 stories. The land where the two 21-story towers were authorized on Wednesday was covered by the new ceiling.
It was explained that it was done “to avoid excess”. “Between 15 and 20 floors, we are at the maximum acceptable, in our opinion,” said Mayor Gilles Lehouillier at the time.
But his administration ultimately reversed course following public consultations where citizens and developers opposed the new limits. Lévis ultimately decided to restrict construction rights in only two of the six zones initially targeted.
Mayor Gilles Lehouillier’s administration recently backed down on the idea of imposing a 15-story limit in areas surrounding Route du Président-Kennedy. (Frédéric Matte/Archives Le Soleil)
Councilor Fallu believes that the Lehouillier administration has decided to postpone the imposition of limits to allow already agreed projects to move forward.
“There are developers who have been planning construction for months, even years, and obviously, they have reached an agreement with the City to get it done,” he notes. This is probably why they decided to step back and not put a height limit until the permits are issued.”
Not a war on developers and densification
Alexandre Fallu denies waging war on developers or densification, encouraged by government guidelines. He also agrees that the sector targeted by the developers is the “designated place” for densification.
But the municipal councilor is against the general vision of development of the Lehouillier administration, which “does not have control” in a critical period, according to him.
“We need housing, but there is a way to do it without shocking an entire neighborhood,” assures the elected official, who holds a bachelor’s degree in urban planning from the University of Quebec in Montreal. “Because with the way things are developing at the moment, Lévis residents no longer recognize their city.”
“It’s not just by building 25-story towers that you become a city.”
— Alexandre Fallu, municipal councilor of Christ-Roi for Repensons Lévis
“I’m not declaring war on developers, but ultimately, my job is to represent those who live in the neighborhood. And in my opinion, to respect them, we must at least put a height limit to keep the city on a human scale.
Although they are in an essentially commercial sector, the towers that are springing up in Lévis must take greater account of the proximity of the residential neighborhoods that surround them. (Frédéric Matte/Le Soleil)
The elected official also points out that the subject will be at the heart of the next electoral campaign of Repensons Lévis, which hopes to obtain the keys to town hall during the municipal election of 2025. “People are talking about it more and more. Densification is not a threat, it is an opportunity. But if we do it all wrong, it’s normal for people to feel rushed.”
Few data allow us to measure the opinion of Lévis residents on the development taking place in Lévis. But during a recent public consultation, many were reluctant to build large real estate complexes.
Some 42% of Lévis residents asked their elected officials to establish new guidelines in terms of construction, while a quarter hoped for a pause or slowdown in development on the South Shore.
