Faubourg Cousineau | Towards 2,500 LEED homes in Longueuil

In 2013, Habitations Mont-Royal embarked on a green shift, promising to build a thousand houses and condos aiming for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification in the Faubourg Cousineau eco-district, in the borough of Saint- Hubert, in Longueuil.

Danielle Bonneau
The Press

The promoter keeps his word, since 1025 dwellings have so far obtained their approval, in the first 3 phases of the project. On the eve of the fourth phase, Faubourg Cousineau already stands out in Canada, bringing together within a single project the largest number of LEED housing units. Eventually, the eco-district should have around 2,500.

This concern for the environment, clearly put forward by the promoter and the builder, Habitations Lussier, won over Lucie Pagé and Yves Corsi. They carefully chose the townhouse they moved into three years ago, next to a small wood.

“We were already in the process of making gestures right and left for the environment,” says Lucie Pagé. To find ourselves in a LEED context, where lots of things are being done to reduce water and energy consumption, and to improve the air quality in the house, it really turned us on. We also really liked the fact that there were going to be trees and parks. I think the neighborhood should keep 1 million ft^⁠square eds of green space. That’s saying something about the South Shore of Montreal! »

Yves Corsi has never spoken so much to his neighbors. According to him, the fact of living in a townhouse surely plays a role, since they are closer to each other than if they lived in single-family houses. But there is more. “The eco-district brings together people who have a common interest in the environment and this facilitates contacts,” he believes. People talk about the project and are interested in what is happening, because there is still a lot of development to come. »

The spirit of mutual aid, which was spontaneously created between neighbours, is also found at the neighborhood level, observes Lucie Pagé. A Facebook page is as much about a misplaced mitt as it is about the growing need for a dog park.

“It’s something you would find more in the countryside,” says Yves Corsi, who appreciates the many green spaces even more since he and his wife welcomed their puppy Luca.

stand out

It was to stand out that Habitations Mont-Royal undertook its green shift nine years ago, explains Danny Cleary, president of the company. “We felt a greater concern for the environmental question, specifies the promoter. And we had the support of the City of Longueuil, which allowed us to create a slightly more interesting neighborhood effect. Front setbacks, for example, are 5 m from the street, as required by the LEED system, whereas in many cities, at least 6 m is required. »

The LEED rating system, by means of a points grid, encourages the construction of homes that consume fewer natural resources, less energy and less water, produce less waste, while having fewer pollutants inside. In Quebec, these are inspected by the independent organization Evaluations Écohabitation. They can reach bronze, silver, gold or platinum levels.

“There is the environmental question, but also the question of the quality of the construction, specifies Mr. Cleary. A lot of things come into play that make a sustainable building better constructed. Under the washers, we have no choice but to install a drain. As 100% of what is built is LEED, we have developed methods for the insulation and sealing of the building envelope. We seek to achieve the best cost-benefit ratio and the additional cost is around $3 or $4 per square foot. We offer a bit of everything to please the widest possible clientele, whether it’s townhouses, condos in two types of condominium buildings meeting different needs, and accommodation in rental buildings under the Logiluxx brand. »

Emmanuel Cosgrove, director of Écohabitation Evaluations, points out that Habitations Mont-Royal and Habitations Lussier have built the largest number of LEED housing units in the same neighborhood in Canada, without being constrained to do so by municipal regulations. They did this by consistently striving for LEED silver certification.

“They transfer the economies of scale, the benefits of human-scale densities and development experience to customers, who can benefit from quality new housing for less than rent. It is especially the affordable dimension that I like. »

Danny Cleary had a clear vision at the start. Now supported by his 22-year-old son and a young team that values ​​sport and an active lifestyle, he wants to continue in the same vein. In phase 4, a large park, conservation areas and about 1300 housing units will be added to the 1200 of the first 3 phases. The shopping center (also LEED and owned by Habitations Mont-Royal, as well as the Logiluxx rental properties) will expand to include new services and local businesses.

“I’m very proud,” says Danny Cleary. This is a signature project for me. The initial philosophy was to build a village focused on the environment and health. That’s kind of what we’re aiming for all the time. It couldn’t be more current. »