Rosemère Presents a Responsible and Thoughtful Approach to a PMAD Adapted to Local Realities

As part of the public consultations on the revised Metropolitan Land Use and Development Plan (PMAD), Rosemère Mayor Eric Westram presented the Town's Memoire on November 26, detailing a pragmatic, balanced vision that reconciles metropolitan development ambitions with local realities.

“Our city intends to play its full part in the transformation of our metropolitan region, while preserving the distinctive character that is its strength. Our requests are simply intended to give us the tools we need to achieve this in a harmonious and sustainable way,” declared Mr. Westram before the commissioners of the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM).

The keys to a successful transformation of the region

With its restricted territory of less than 10 square kilometers, which combines several strategic metropolitan designations, Rosemère represents a unique case in the northern suburbs. This uniqueness calls for a customized approach to successfully transform its territory.

Accompanied by Nathalie Legault, Director of Planning and Sustainable Development, the mayor presented a vision structured around three priority issues that will shape Rosemère's future.

First, the crucial issue of municipal infrastructure capacity in the face of climatic challenges, highlighted by recent extreme weather events, was addressed. The mayor then stressed the importance of improved sustainable mobility to support the addition of housing on the North Shore, a particular challenge given that only 13% of trips in the North Shore are by public transport. Finally, he stressed the need for well-considered, harmonious densification around strategic hubs such as Place Rosemère, where a major redevelopment project is planned.

Due to ongoing litigation concerning the former golf course, where the Town, the MRC and the CMM are co-defendants in a $278 million lawsuit, the Town has limited itself to requests for technical clarification, notably on environmental analysis criteria and density application procedures for this strategic sector.

In-depth studies to better understand capacity

“Our goal is not to put the brakes on development, but rather to give ourselves the tools we need to ensure the successful transformation of our territory,” said the Mayor of Rosemère. In his presentation, he emphasized that the investments made by the Town to produce in-depth studies currently underway concerning infrastructure capacity and financial projections demonstrate Rosemère's serious commitment to this major collective metropolitan project. These requests are based on a rigorous analysis of the issues at stake and aim to ensure development that will benefit both the metropolitan region and the citizens of Rosemère.

“The challenges we face are also opportunities to reinvent ourselves. With this revised PMAD, we have the opportunity to demonstrate that a town can develop ambitiously while preserving its exceptional quality of life. This is the legacy we want to leave to future generations,” concluded Mr. Westram.