Master Plan (Planning Program) and Related Urban Planning By-Laws

FAQ

On the public consultations

What is the difference between the Planning Program and the Master Plan? They are the same thing. The recently revised provincial law mandating this document, called the Loi sur l’aménagement et l’urbanisme (LAU) uses ‘Planning Program’ as the official English translation, so we are following suit.

What by-laws or plans are you passing at the same time as the Planning Program?

• Town Centre Special Planning Program
• Zoning by-law
• SPAIP (Site Planning and Architectural Integration) By-Law
• Social, Affordable, and Family Housing By-law
• Permits and Certificates By-Law
• Subdivision By-Law

Who drafted the Planning Program and related by-laws?
The City hired professional urban planning firm BC2 to work closely with City staff to produce the Planning Program and all the related by-laws.

Where can I access the full Planning Program and/or proposed by-laws? The entire Planning Program, Town Centre Special Planning Program, and all the related urban planning by-laws will be made available on our Engage page as of the notice of motion, on August 12.

Were our opinions taken into account in the drafting of these documents and by-laws?
Yes, absolutely. We had the pre-consultation results in mind in every step of this process and tried to incorporate as much as we could. With approximately 35,000 residents in the City, there are many points of view on a variety of subjects. All opinions were considered, but not all will be able to be retained in the final drafts.

How did you make sure all voices were heard?
The City hired a public consultation firm to help ensure that we solicit opinions from the public in a variety of ways in the pre-consultation phase. The City itself conducted multiple consultation events as well. The reports of results are available here.

Is there a referendum after this process?
Once the City adopts the final version of the Planning Program and related urban planning by-laws, there will be a public notice for a registry, which will take place over a four-day period. The City Clerk will then table the results at the following public meeting. If there were enough signatures from the registry, a referendum will be triggered. If not, then it is considered adopted.

How will I learn of the next steps?
See the About tab above as well the timeline in this page for news and updates related to the Planning Program and By-Law revisions.

Did you consult residents of other cities?
Our Information Sessions, Open House, and Public Hearings were open to anyone who wanted to attend. We also held stakeholder meetings where other cities were in attendance.

What if we were not able to come to the pre-consultations?
All Information Sessions were recorded and are posted in the timeline on this page. You can also read the two ‘What we Heard’ reports from the pre-consultation process, also available on this page.

What was the ‘pre-consultation’ process, and what is the difference between that and the ‘consultation’ process?
The City of Côte Saint-Luc conducted what we called ‘pre-consultations’ between June 2022 and March 2023. All of these activities took place before any documents or by-laws were drafted. Their purpose was to get public input, which would inform the vision and actions in the documents. The ‘consultation’ will take place after the first draft of the Planning Program and related by-laws. Unlike the pre-consultations, the consultation is part of a legally mandated process.

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 Planning Program 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 developed our own Social, Affordable, and Family Housing By-law that suits our context. The City’s vision is to have social or 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. The City is currently engaged in the process of becoming an official Age-Friendly Municipality.

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. The City can implement certain measures in its new by-laws that control the number of cars that can be added to the development sites. In addition, the design of the new developments and the configuration of new streets can greatly improve the level of service for the surrounding roads. We are working with a traffic consultant to ensure an optimal design to achieve that. Finally, better access to public transit and active transit options should also help.

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. It was clear in the public consultations that there is a desire on the part of our residents to have protected bike paths and bike-share programs, for example.

On the Master Plan and Zoning By-Law Revision

How many Master Plans/Planning Programs 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 Planning Program, 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 Planning Program?
The Planning Program 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 Planning Programs Prepared?
For the preparation of our Planning Program, we first engaged in a ‘pre-consultation’ process, to gather feedback from our residents. We also looked at best practices. The City hired outside consultant to draft the actual plan and draft the by-laws. This consultant worked closely with the Urban Planning Department and used all the information gathered in the pre-consultation phase.

When can we expect to see the final Master Plan?
The draft version of the Planning Program and all related by-laws were adopted on November 20, 2024, and can be accessed under the Documents tab.

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 Planning Program and correlated by-laws are adopted by the summer of 2025, then it would be conceivable for construction to start in the fall 2026 or early 2027.

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.

Did the City consult the public after the draft Master Plan and urban planning by-laws were adopted?
Yes, the City conducted several consultation events, including, one presentation (at adoption), one official legal consultation, and six district/redevelopment specific information sessions. You can read the full report of those consultations (PDF) and view the consultations that were recorded. You will find the links to these recordings in the timeline.

Did the City do any traffic studies of its own to determine any impacts new developments will have?
Yes, the City hired a firm to conduct a traffic study and analyze key areas of concern in Côte Saint-Luc, such as the area around Decarie Square.

Will there be any changes made to the Master Plan or urban planning by-laws for the final adoption?
Following the adoption of the draft Planning Program and By-Laws, the City had a re-examination period, where it analyzed not only the results of the consultation, but also the traffic study and other feedback. Some modifications and improvements were made to the by-laws, and the changes of note will be presented to the public at a consultation preceding the final adoption.