Accessible housing may fill need in St-Lazare
A proposed wheelchair-accessible housing project in St-Lazare aims to provide seniors and others with limited mobility more options to live independently within the community. The three-storey, 34-unit complex on Des Marguerites Street near Ste-Angélique Road would include an elevator and underground parking. Ten of the units are to be adapted housing units with features to improve accessibility, such as light switches mounted lower down to make them easier for a person in a wheelchair to reach. On the side of the building that faces Ste-Angelique, the facade would also incorporate space for business or commercial use. Mayor Robert Grimaudo said the project is badly needed in StLazare. The fast-growing community’s housing stock is dominated by single-family homes in caroriented rural and suburban developments. He said seniors who are looking to downsize to smaller homes or who are limited in how much they can drive due to mobility issues are often pushed out to Vaudreuil-Dorion, Île-Perrot or other neighbouring communities. “Thirty per cent of the population is under the age of 25,” Grimaudo said. “But the reality is we have elderly people who have literally nowhere to go in St-Lazare.” In St-Lazare, 27 per cent of the population is over the age of 50, and seven per cent is over 65. Grimaudo said the location in the centre of the village is ideal, as it would allow residents to walk to the grocery store, restaurants, pharmacy, doctor’s office and other errands — a boon for those who cannot drive. A zoning change is required to permit mixed residential-commercial use and allow for underground parking. At a public consultation meeting on May 16 regarding the rezoning request, the main concern for residents was the impact of the development on traffic in the downtown area. Council is expected to vote on whether to allow the zoning change at the June 6 council meeting.