COMMUNITY SNAPSHOT
A look at St-Laurent
The well-established community of St-Laurent is the largest borough of the city of Montreal. The area is home to roughly 103,130 people who have been served by one of the longest-running mayors in Montreal, Alan DeSousa, since 2001. On Nov. 5, the incumbent was re-elected in the latest citywide municipal election.
In a prepared statement, he spoke about some of his proudest accomplishments, while looking forward to plans for the new term.
“We have been working relentlessly over the past four years to offer St-Laurent residents an outstanding living environment. Our accomplishments during that time included the construction of the sports complex and the opening of the Bibliothèque du Boisé — two large-scale projects that were carried out with full integrity,” DeSousa said. “We are committed to pursuing the promises that we have made, by continuing to improve the quality of our local services and carry out the planned projects and actions relating to transportation, culture, social development, sustainable development and the fight against greenhouse gases.”
Being a green community has been a priority for St-Laurent for some time. In addition to an impressive number of bike paths, playgrounds, man-made ponds, and protected woodlands, the borough also has several initiatives aimed at sustainable and ecofriendly living, including a number of award-winning programs.
For instance, on Sept. 27, the community was named the Leader in Sustainable Transport – Continuity Category, at a business luncheon organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal. The award stems from the initiatives of local businesses geared toward public and active transportation.
In October, city officials also inaugurated a newly opened pedestrian passage along the Deux-Montagnes AMT train line, facilitating foot traffic and enabling more residents to use their bicycles.
In addition, a wide range of residential and commercial builders within the community have opted to make their latest projects ecofriendly, including a number of LEED-certified buildings.
Aside from its efforts to go green, another one of St-Laurent’s distinguishing characteristics is its multiculturalism, a point of pride for DeSousa.
“There are people from all sorts of backgrounds that call St-Laurent home,” Mayor DeSousa said. “I like to think our diversity represents the best of Montreal because here everyone lives side by side and appreciates the fact that they all have a community where they can happily live, work, raise their families, and enjoy life.”
The city makes a substantial effort to accommodate the range of families that live within its borders by offering an array of services, recreational activities, and facilities — including a new sports complex on Thimens Blvd., which opened in August; a new library; a fully-loaded YMCA nearby; and a number of sporting turfs and terrains.
“Our facilities are always full of people making the most of them,” DeSousa said. “Offering residents everything they need to live a fulfilling life within the borders of our community has always been important to the city, because it means people can live a convenient life and maximize their time with their family.”
Another key factor in how St-Laurent facilitates an enviable lifestyle is the amount of jobs available within the borough.
“We’re second only to downtown when it comes to employment,” DeSousa said. “There are so many small to medium-size businesses here, and on top of that we have a number of large national and international corporations with their head offices here.”
In terms of real estate, St-Laurent truly has something for every type of buyer.
“It’s a convenient location for families to live, thanks to its proximity to main boulevards and three major Montreal highways — which makes commuting a lot easier for homeowners in the area,” said Claudia Argento, real-estate broker with Abbey and Olivier Agency. “There’s a wide range of properties being purchased and leased daily in St-Laurent, including new construction condos and detached homes, and investment properties and high-end luxury residences; there really are options for everyone.”
The Bois-Franc area is best known for its carefully planned community, with condos and townhouses developed to mimic a European feel. Condos in the Place des Nations development, which features a gym and a pool, range from two to three bedrooms starting at $349,900. Townhouses in the Zac3 project have three bedrooms, a double garage and are priced from $659,900.
Nearby, Nouveau St-Laurent offers many options, but its luxury homes by developer Rodimax are arguably its crowning jewel. The latest project in the area offers 20 different models of homes with areas up to around 4,000 square feet, and prices starting at approximately $1.2 million.