Master Plan and Zoning By-law Revision

On the public consultations

Will our opinions really be taken into account?
All opinions will be taken into account in the creation of the Master Plan and Zoning By-Law Revision. With approximately 35,000 residents in the City, there are many points of view on a variety of subjects. All opinions will be considered, but not all will be able to be retained in the final drafts.

Is there a referendum after this process?
There is no referendum after this informal consultation process. After the Master Plan and Zoning By-Law Revision documents are drafted, a formal legal process will take place that could potentially conclude with a referendum.

How will you make sure all voices are heard?
The City has hired a public consultation firm to help ensure that we solicit opinions from the public in a variety of ways.

If the City hired the consultants, how can they be neutral?
The purpose of hiring the consultations was to better understand the perspectives of residents and stakeholders to inform the Master Plan and Zoning By-Law Revision. The consultants had no stake in the outcome. They were hired to be neutral, to moderate, and to interpret what residents say. You can see their final report here (PDF).

Are these consultations part of a legal process?
No. The formal legal process will begin once the Master Plan and Zoning By-Law Revision are drafted.

How will I know what happens after the consultations are over?
See the About tab above as well the timeline in this page for news and updates related to the Master Plan and Zoning By-Law revision.

Are you consulting residents of other cities?
Our Information Sessions, Open House, and Public Hearings were/are open to anyone who wants to attend. We will also be communicating with neighbouring municipalities as stakeholders.

What if we were not able to come to the consultations?
All Information Sessions were recorded and are posted in the timeline on this page. You can also read the report of the first part of the consultation process, also available on this page (PDF).

When is this ‘pre-consultation’ process going to end?
The City of Côte Saint-Luc is continuing the pre-consultation process until March 2023. There will be further consultative activities, such as focus groups with populations. In the spring, Part 2 of the report will be posted on the Engage section of the City website.

Côte Saint-Luc Vision

Has the City already approved plans for the shopping centres?
No. Proposals for any redevelopment have not even started going through the formal Planning Advisory Committee process.

Has the City seen any proposals from the developers?
Yes. The City has informally seen concepts from developers, which were schematic. No formal plans have been submitted or approved by the City.

What do you mean by ‘dense’ or ‘density’?
Density refers to the number of dwelling units per hectare. Higher density areas have more households living in them. The Schéma d’aménagement de l’Agglomération de Montréal has set target densities for all areas of the island of Montreal. There are many ways to achieve density.

What does ‘mixed-use’ mean?
Mixed use is when a zone allows for more than one use, so that alongside residential buildings, for example, there could be shops, businesses, institutions and/or offices. Mixed use zoning is used to make more complete neighbourhoods.

How is the City proposing to address housing affordability?
One of our main goals with the Master Plan is to introduce a variety of housing types for all stages of life and all incomes. While the City of Montreal 20-20-20 rule does not apply on our territory, we are committed to introducing subsidized and affordable housing in each of the potential shopping mall redevelopments.

How does any redevelopment help seniors?In our vision, Côte Saint-Luc will become a much more age-friendly place than it has ever been. Mixed use redevelopment would mean that not only would all the proximity services like groceries, pharmacies, clinics, etc. be nearby, the access to those services would be better. . Underground parking would mean that they wouldn’t have to get out of their cars in the rain or snow. Any redevelopments would include much more comfortable, walkable streets, with wide sidewalks, awnings to protect from the elements, and lots of street trees and benches. From a housing point of view, there will be much more choice, including more affordable housing which many seniors need. If older adults can no longer drive, they will have other choices to get to where they want to go.

Has the City considered the winter in its vision and for the redevelopments? If you want to demolish the existing indoor malls, what will replace them?
Any new developments would definitely have not only winter in mind, but extreme heat as well. Things like wind will be considered for building orientation and design. We envision that all buildings would have outdoor awnings or similar features that would protect pedestrians from the elements. All the mall redevelopments would also have underground parking, which means that people could go straight to the grocery store and not even get wet or have to scrape their car. Extreme heat is something that we are also dealing with more and more as a result of climate change. As it stands, the hottest parts of our city are the mall sites, with their large asphalt parking lots. The ambient temperature would actually be brought down in these areas with redevelopment, because of the underground parking, increased greenery, and our white or green roof requirement. In terms of indoor spaces to hang out in during weather episodes, we will make sure that such areas still exist, because we understand there is a need.

Won’t new developments generate more traffic?
Not necessarily. Commercial use generates a constant stream of traffic all day long. Residential use generates less traffic as a rule. In addition, with significantly better access to rapid transit, car use (and hence, traffic) may decline.

What sectors are you talking about connecting?
Within Côte Saint-Luc, we hope to connect the CSL Shopping Centre area to Parkhaven over the tracks. We want our residents to also be able to connect to Montreal boroughs through the Cavendish Extension, the Corridor Vert bike and pedestrian path that would link the Bois de Saraguay in Saint-Laurent to Angrignon Park in Lasalle through CSL. We envision a pedestrian link at Clanranald to connect to the Hippodrome site from the North of Hampstead area.

Is CSL becoming anti-car like Montreal?
The City is not against cars. Our goal is to provide residents with a range of mobility options, which currently they do not really have. We would like residents to determine the most appropriate mode for each of their trips.

On the Master Plan and Zoning By-Law Revision

How many Master Plans has CSL made?
The City made Master Plans in 1954, 1964, 1990, 2000, and 2004. The first one from 1954 has been lost, but the others can be found on the cotesaintluc.org/engage website.

What is the current Master Plan in force?
The 2004 Master Plan for the Borough of Côte Saint-Luc-Hampstead-Montreal West.

What role does Montreal have in our Master Plan, if any?
Our Master Plan and Zoning By-Law Revision has to be submitted to Montreal for final approval, to ensure that it conforms to the Schéma d’aménagement de l’Agglomération de Montréal.

What is a master plan?
The Master Plan is the most important official document for a city in terms of planning and development, as it is the basis for all urban planning policies. It sets out the city’s vision for land use planning and development and the means of implementation that it intends to put forward.
It contains the orientations and priorities that will guide the City’s decision-making for the next 10 to 15 years.

What is a zoning by-law?
The Zoning By-Law controls the use of land on our territory, where buildings and structures can be located and the types of buildings permitted, in addition to lot sizes, setbacks, density, and parking ratios. By provincial law, every municipality must have a master plan and zoning by-law in effect. The Zoning By-Law has to reflect what is in the Master Plan, which is why they must be done together.

How are Master Plans Prepared?
For the preparation of our Master Plan, we are first engaging in a ‘pre-consultation’ process, to gather feedback from our residents. We will also be looking at best practices. The City will be hiring outside consultant to draft the actual plan and draft the by-laws. This consultant will be working closely with the Urban Planning Department and will use all the information gathered in the pre-consultation phase.

When can we expect to see the Master Plan?
It is our intention to present a draft Master Plan in 2023.

What if I don’t agree with what’s in the final draft of the Master Plan?
As it is the case for all rezoning by-laws, a referendum could potentially be held if the necessary number of signatures are collected by residents of Côte Saint-Luc. It is important to note that if that were the case, the referendum would be citywide.

Practical Issues

When would construction on any mall sites begin?
If the Master Plan and Zoning By-Law Revision get adopted in 2023, then it would be conceivable for construction to start in late 2024 or early 2025.

How long would construction go on for?
At this stage, it is hard to answer that question. The malls will have to be developed in phases because of existing leases, market demand, and also external variables like the Cavendish Extension. Before anything is demolished or built in the City, permits are required, and we have a Construction by-law that governs many aspects of how and when it can be done. We envision the time horizon for completion of developments to be 10 to 15 years, but that is not to say there would be construction in all the mall developments at once, or for that long. The City will definitely have to coordinate different sites and their impacts.