It is time for dialogue and not for division in the debate concerning the future of the course of the former Rosemère golf course. We must work together to achieve our sustainable development goals and we believe that it is thanks to ambitious projects such as Quartier Melrose that we will be able to preserve green spaces for our children, fight against climate change and reduce urban sprawl. .
Posted at 11:00 a.m.
After the publication of an open letter in The Press concerning the former Rosemère golf course1it seems essential to us to set the record straight and reassure the population of Rosemère and the surrounding area about the important environmental qualities of the eco-neighbourhood that is proposed to enhance this site, Quartier Melrose.
For a period of three years, the Town of Rosemère held an extensive public consultation process. We personally participated in it to be at the forefront in order to fully understand the issues and the concerns of citizens in the face of this development. The conclusions of this consultation established, among other things, that the population wanted to position the residential development as an eco-district project with a large surface area of green spaces, that it was important to improve the supply of accessible housing (young families and seniors) and to improve the connection of neighborhoods, in particular with the help of active links (bike paths).
It is on this basis that we have developed, with the help of many independent and respected experts, the Quartier Melrose. This project even received a favorable verdict from the public interest organization Vivre en Ville, recognized for its expertise in the development of viable communities. Its report clearly indicates that “the development project for the former golf course meets the requirements and criteria to be met at the scale of the agglomeration and the district to become an eco-district” 2. Moreover, the same organization rightly points out that “golf courses are not automatically natural environments of ecological interest, at least not in their entirety”. We therefore believe that transforming Rosemère into an eco-district and making it a model of sustainable development will be beneficial for everyone.
The Quartier Melrose has all the essential characteristics for the development of our community. It is an eco-district that preserves all wetlands and 50% of the area is reserved for parks and public green spaces including 8.6 km of trails and linear parks as well as a huge park of more than 900,000 square feet which alone will be the largest park in Rosemère. The project also proposes to reforest the area and double the number of trees currently on the land, thanks to the planting of more than 2,300 trees.
In addition, the Quartier Melrose offers a development that meets the density and location requirements set out in the Metropolitan Land Use and Development Plan (PMAD) of the Montreal Urban Community, perfectly in line with the fundamental objective of curb urban sprawl.
The development of Quartier Melrose will significantly propel the economic growth of the city and its merchants. Indeed, the firm Altus has estimated that household spending on durable and semi-durable goods will be more than $45 million annually, an increase of 45% compared to the current situation. To this amount will be added annual tax revenues of over $6 million for the benefit of the Town of Rosemère, an increase of nearly 20% on the municipality’s current operating budget.
More than ever, citizens, promoters and elected officials must unite their efforts to ensure sustainable living environment developments. We are still reaching out to political decision-makers in order to establish a constructive dialogue to implement this ambitious project which will inevitably make the city and its citizens proud.