Development of Maples: unanswered questions and serious concerns, denounce the current owners – Le Progrès de Coaticook

Mr. Mayor,

Ladies and gentlemen of the board,

We are citizens who, during the municipal council meeting of June 13, wanted to obtain information about the residential project on avenue des Érables. At the end of the session, our questions remained unanswered and our concerns just as acute.

The expansion project has been talked about for a few years now. Now, we would like to know if it is still possible for us to express our opinions when the subdivision is done, the project has been entrusted to Groupe Custeau and the start of the work

planning and construction is imminent.

Access to the most recent version of Groupe Custeau’s plan had been requested in council on May 9, then on June 13 and again by email on June 15, but no response was given to these requests at the time of write these lines. On June 13, you assured us that a public meeting would be held in mid-July for the promoter to explain his plan, but we fear that any modification would then be impossible.

Our understanding is that the plan would call for approximately 250 units. The scope of the project raises several concerns, including the increase in automobile traffic, the high number of rental buildings in a residential sector composed mainly of single-family homes and the limited land earmarked for new single-family, semi-detached or row homes.

In addition, it seems that it is planned to erect buildings of 12 to 24 apartments behind the current residences, with the development of buffer zones of 10 meters. We consider this width insufficient to protect the privacy of households on either side. In addition to the loss of tranquility, we fear a devaluation of our properties.

Of course, we are aware that the sector is located in an urban perimeter, but Coaticook is a city with a human dimension and a rural vocation, which is why many of us have chosen to live here. Thus, a project of such magnitude upsets many current residents. Should the attraction of new households attracted by local industries prevail over the interests of taxpayers established for 5, 10, 30 years? The trust we have placed in you, our elected officials, has been greatly shaken.

We know that to limit urban sprawl, we must focus on densification. On the other hand, has an impact study of this high density of dwellings been carried out? Some 250 gates on such a small territory, is that really reasonable in terms of the protection of biodiversity, the health of the environment, the flow of water, the

noise pollution, road safety?

So far, the progress of the project lacks two of the principles of Quebec’s Sustainable Development Act, which guide the 2016-2031 Land Use and Sustainable Development Plan of the MRC de Coaticook. The first principle,

health and quality of life, stipulates that “people, the protection of their health and the improvement of their quality of life are at the center of concerns relating to sustainable development; people have the right to a healthy and productive life,

harmony with nature. The fourth principle insists on the participation and commitment of citizens, “necessary to define a concerted vision of development and ensure its sustainability on the environmental, social

and economic”.

Our position is not to prevent the expansion of the district, but we want the conditions to be win-win: that the development respects the natural environment, the harmony of the built environment, as well as safety, the quality of life and the well-being of the people who live there and who will live there. Thanking you for your attention to our request

of information and consultation, please accept, Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen members of council, our respectful greetings.

Marie-Claude Tremblay,

On behalf of owners residing on avenue des Érables, rue Bachand, rue des Cerisiers and rue des Tilleuls

We want to say thanks to the author of this short article for this remarkable material

Development of Maples: unanswered questions and serious concerns, denounce the current owners – Le Progrès de Coaticook


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