A new neighborhood will emerge in Laval over the next decade. Carré Laval, as envisioned by Mayor Stéphane Boyer’s administration, will eventually include some 3,500 homes and a 22-hectare park, more than half of the area to be developed.
Located along Highway 15 and Boulevard Saint-Martin Ouest, Carré Laval will be part of downtown Laval. Mayor Boyer unveiled the main points on Tuesday at a press conference. “It was a hole with a snow dump,” the mayor summarized about the site, the former Lagacé quarry that the City acquired.
And the City intends to remain the owner of the site, said Stéphane Boyer. A first phase of the project will be carried out in partnership with the Société de développement Angus (SDA), whose mandate will be to build 500 social and affordable housing units and 500 conventional housing units. This phase will also include an innovation centre.
The first housing units will not see the light of day before the beginning of 2029, specified Charles Larouche, executive vice-president of the SDA.
Remaining the owner of the land, rather than selling plots to real estate developers, allows the city to control its development, says Stéphane Boyer. “By not having to buy the land, it gives it room to maneuver [aux promoteurs] at the business plan level to have more affordability […] and allow for more sustainable buildings,” explained Mr. Boyer. “And the City will be able to have an overall vision. We will be in control of the vision and we will partner with partners who adhere to this vision.”
The future 22-hectare park with a large pond will be surrounded by buildings that will be built along the main roads. Car traffic will be absent from this future district but residents and workers will have access to 1,750 parking spaces that will be built underground.
Stéphane Boyer believes that it will take around twenty years to develop the entire site.
Further details will follow.