Golf de Rosemère | Quebec sets conditions for a future subdivision

by time news

The City of Rosemère will not be able to go ahead to allow a residential subdivision in its golf course, decided Quebec. A twist that adds a page to the soap opera of this golf course at the heart of a controversy north of Montreal.


Eric-Pierre Champagne

Eric-Pierre Champagne
Press

At the request of the municipality, the MRC Thérèse-de-Blainville adopted, on July 7, a regulatory proposal that would change the use of the golf course in its development plan. This would go from “golf” to “residential in a landscaped environment”.

September 17, Press revealed that the site does not comply with “intended residential and commercial uses” due to excessively high levels of mercury and arsenic. The decision of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MAMH) is not, however, based on this new information which was revealed after the analysis of the file was completed.

In a letter sent to the prefect of the MRC on September 16, the MAMH concludes “that certain elements of this project do not comply with government guidelines for land use planning relating to transport planning”. According to the Ministry, “the changes of use” and “the addition of large-scale residential projects” could “worsen the existing traffic problems”.

The government authorities also point out that “no provision is proposed to promote an urban form limiting travel distances or promoting active mobility”.

If the City and the MRC still wish to go ahead with this draft by-law, the MAMH recommends “taking into account the effects of increased travel on the capacity of the upper network and the problems that may be generated”. In particular, it is suggested to “promote an overall reduction in automobile use and distances traveled”.

A first project refused by the City

Remember that the City refused a subdivision project submitted by the new owners of the golf course. The municipality says it wants to keep at least 50% of the golf course to make it a park.

A group of citizens, Rosemère Vert, asks the City that 100% of the golf course be transformed into a park.

Rosemère did not want to comment on the file since the notice was sent to the MRC, and not to the municipality. The MRC Thérèse-de-Blainville has indicated that it will not comment.

While the Montreal Metropolitan Community (CMM) is struggling to achieve its objectives of protecting natural environments on its territory, researcher Jérôme Dupras believes that golf courses “constitute great opportunities to intervene in order to protect or restore areas which are already vegetated ”.

“This is obviously an assessment that must be done on a case-by-case basis,” explains Mr. Dupras. All golf courses that abandon their primary vocation are not automatically candidates for protection measures, but considering their area on the scale of the MWC, this is an option that cannot be ruled out from the outset, adds the Professor in the Department of Natural Sciences at the University of Quebec in Outaouais.

1,5 %

Golf courses make up 1.5% of MWC’s total area, according to a 2016 report.

25

Number of golf courses that ceased their activities between 2005 and 2015 in Quebec.

Source : CMM

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