A proposed development unveiled in Senneville
Trees, walking paths, chirping birds, spacious lots for custom homes. Urban planner Marc Perreault unveiled the selling points of the proposed 83-home Senneville-on-the-Park development for a standing-room-only gathering at the George McCleish Community Centre on Sept. 15. It was a tough crowd. The residents of the tiny suburb studied the plans on display and listened politely to Perreault’s talk about the steps he has taken to embrace the natural flow of the land and create a development that would reflect the town’s spirit. Then, they grilled him, the developer and council members about the development’s possible flaws.
They voiced concern about an increase in traffic and population. They worried about the new homes fitting into the bucolic, traditional feel of the town.
Senneville is a quiet, affluent municipality with large, leafy lots and plenty of privacy. The population hovers at around 920, and many would like it to stay that way.
However, ever since the Montreal Agglomeration Council adopted its Land Use and Development Plan in 2015, municipalities have been required to come up with a master urban plan that complies with new densification rules.
The proposed development would extend north of Senneville Park to Highway 40 and curve south to include a small piece of land on the waterfront. The average cost of a lot would be $300,000, with the estimated cost of building a custom house ranging between $500,000 and $700,000. Each custom design would have to be approved by the comité consultatif d’urbanisme (CCU) and town council.
Developer Farzad Shodjai bought the land for about $5 million in March 2014 and talk of the development has stirred controversy ever since.
Perreault said every tree on the property has been documented for size, location and species. There are no wetlands on the property. The goal is to preserve 80 per cent of the trees.
“I don’t look at this as a real-estate development,” Perreault said. “I look at it as a park into which we introduce a real-estate element.”
The proposed development must be approved by the Quebec Environment Ministry and its densification numbers approved by the Montreal Agglomeration Council. That process could take months. Shodjai said, if all is approved, work on the walking paths and roadways could begin in September 2017. He estimated it could take between five and seven years for the project to be completed.