The organization Boisés et écologie Châteauguay (BEC) is opposing to a real estate development of more than 2,000 units on a former agricultural land called Terre à Faubert in the city of Châteauguay. This land covers 28 hectares near Highway 30 and contains wetlands, wastelands and woodlands.
See more: BEC
On December 18, 2024, the BEC filed an appeal for judicial review, with the participation of certain citizens, to ask the Superior Court of Quebec to rule on the validity of the regulations relating to the PPU (Specific Urban Planning Plan) adopted in November 2024 for residential development in Terre à Faubert.
The BEC alleges that the City did not comply with the Land Use Planning and Development Act, regarding the choice of the development process for this land and deprived citizens of their right to vote by referendum on the regulations opening the way to real estate development.
The referendum approval process circumvented?
According to Boisés et écologie – Châteauguay, the City did not comply with the Land Use Planning and Development Act, by exempting the development project for the land in Faubert from the overall development plan (PAE) that was planned for the zone in which this land was located. By resorting to a PPU, rather than a PAE, Châteauguay also removed the right of citizens to demand the application of a referendum process.
According to urban planning expert Danielle Pilette, quoted in an article in La Presse, a PAE would have given the city more control over the project and required financial guarantees from the developer. The regulatory choice of the PPU is stated as favouring the interest of the developer to the detriment of the public interest.
The Legacy Fund for the Environment provided assistance to the BEC to support it in developing arguments for the court proceedings.
In the PPU, the City proposes to reserve 35% of the site for green spaces. However, during a public consultation, City representatives indicated that the proposed green space would also include an adjoining lot, located between the site and Highway 30, which belongs to a neighbouring city, Mercier (Châteauguay has also taken steps to move this lot). The BEC argues that the wetlands, woodlands and wastelands of the Faubert land, which are home to significant flora and fauna, act as an invaluable sponge for runoff water, as a filter regenerating the water table and as a brake on air and noise pollution.
According to the organization, this is the last significant woodland south of Châteauguay. Citizens believe that other urban land could be used to build housing without harming the city’s last natural environments. The group has collected over 8,000 signatures to stop the project.
The group is raising $50,000 through the Legacy Fund for the Environment to recover funds for this legal action. If you would like to support the group, you can make a donation on this page by selecting the Boisés et écologie – Châteauguay (BEC) Fund, the second option.
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