On June 7, the borough of Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve adopted two new draft bylaws that are in line with the MHM 2021 Greening Action Plan and the City of Montreal's 2020-2030 Climate Plan.
This is a second phase of regulatory changes that will result in a multitude of concrete benefits for the community in terms of ecological transition.
A better quality of life for residents
These changes to the borough's regulatory framework are mainly aimed at greening, urban agriculture, revising the density in certain sectors to free up available land, sustainable stormwater management and the greening of parking lots. These changes will help greatly reduce heat islands, thus contributing to the improvement to the quality of life of residents and a greater resilience of the territory.
"The desire to respond to environmental imperatives is increasingly central to our decisions. And since the main leverage that we have at the municipal level is regulatory, this is where we are making our most significant changes. With this second series of amendments, we are pressing even harder on this lever by targeting another key sector in the borough, that of Assomption Sud-Longue-Pointe sector. The use of such regulatory tools was one of several of the recommendations in the OCPM report, intended to achieve a more ecological management and an overall vision of the territory," said Borough Mayor Pierre Lessard-Blais.
An ecological transition for the entire borough and a transformation of the Grande Prairie Eco-park sector
Furthermore, new standards will require the installation of green roofs and increased greening in parking areas in order to reduce heat islands.
Additionally, in order to encourage the use of renewable energy, the installation of wiring to accommodate electric charging stations will become a requirement for future residential projects. An increase in the number of bicycle parking spaces in the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the creation of an incentive to increase the number of spaces for car-sharing vehicles are planned. This draft by-law reflects the borough's intention to encourage the adoption of active means of transportation and will contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases and the improvement of air quality. The integration of a new use allowance related to urban agriculture will enable the implementation of innovative projects in MHM.
All of these modifications are in line with the Grande Prairie Eco-park Master Plan, which specifically calls for a reduction in the number of buildings on the ground and an increase in height.
Development of the territory based on active and public transportation
The regulatory changes in the vicinity of the Préfontaine metro station contribute to orienting development towards Transit-oriented development (TOD) areas. This is an approach that favours urbanization and public transit, with a focus on diversity and densification of activities.
An amendment to the City of Montreal's Urban Plan is currently being adopted. In parallel with this process, the borough is making a regulatory amendment that will :
- Remove the heavy commercial category as well as storage from the wholesale and storage category.
- Increase the minimum height in storeys and in metres and the application of a minimum implementation rate in certain zones and
- Decrease the maximum implementation rate from 85% to 70% in one of the zones.
Next Steps
A 15-day written consultation will be held from June 17 to July 2 and has been announced through a public notice. The public is invited to consult the presentation of draft by-laws RCA21-27001 and 01-275-137 for details of the written consultation.
The draft by-laws will undergo a second reading at Council on July 5 and will be adopted at a special meeting on August 12. A certificate of conformity will be issued at that time to allow the new by-law to come into force.
