COMMUNITY SNAPSHOT
Beaconsfield A Draw For All Ages
With origins as a summer getaway, this family-friendly West Island community on the shores of Lac St-Louis has become a residential beacon over the years, drawing homeowners who have access to a wide variety of programs and activities and who take great pride in their city
With its lush tree-lined streets, kilometres of waterfront property, and many mature neighbourhoods, Beaconsfield is one of the most sought-after communities on the West Island. In fact, the city is often touted as a suburban paradise, offering the best of countrystyle living, while still providing amenities and services, including easy access to other parts of Montreal, such as the downtown core.
Historically, Beaconsfield was known as a largely rural community, consisting mostly of summer cottages and vast amounts of green space. This started to change in the 1950s, as people began settling permanently in the community, transforming it into the residential beacon it has become. Today, it’s home to approximately 20,000 residents.
“I think it’s safe to say that peaceful, comfortable, and beautiful are the words most often used by residents to describe the identity of Beaconsfield,” said Mayor Georges Bourelle. “It’s country living in an urban environment.”
It appears Beaconsfield resident Heather Doucet couldn’t agree more.
“It’s a special place to live because of its beautiful waterfront setting, quaint Beaurepaire Village, and abundance of recreational activities,” she said. “Especially its community pools.”
The community boasts an impressive amount of recreational activities and facilities.
In addition to four outdoor community pools, there are six outdoor tennis court locations and several other facilities for baseball, soccer, rugby, outdoor hockey and ice skating.
The city also has a formal recreational centre with an indoor pool, gymnasium and ice rink, as well as two yacht clubs for those who love the water, and there are 11 English and French primary and secondary schools in Beaconsfield.
“The community is ideal for families with children of all ages, but young kids especially have so many sport activities and wonderful parks to enjoy,” Bourelle said.
“The library offers a variety of programs and activities for young children, young adults and seniors, and there are many concerts, plays and other activities for people of all ages to enjoy during the summer at Centennial Park. The recreational centre and the community pools offer great activities, and adults and university-age children have easy commutes to John Abbott College and Montreal universities.”
In addition to activities for children of all ages, Beaconsfield also has many programs geared toward seniors, as it has a growing population of residents age 65 and older.
Beaconsfield is also well known for its greenery and playgrounds, which include 24 parks and 408,703 square metres of green spaces — most notably Angell Woods, a protected forest in the heart of the city. But the city ’s commitment to being green doesn’t stop there.
In 2016, the community introduced a smart garbage collection system that has reportedly reduced the amount of garbage it sends to landfills by an impressive 51 per cent.
“We’ve become the city with the lowest rate of garbage generation among municipalities of the agglomeration of Montreal,” Bourelle said. “The program resulted in Beaconsfield residents winning the Réseau Environnement’s 2017 Distinction Jacques Gaudreau Award for their outstanding management of waste material.”
In terms of real estate, much of the community was constructed in the 1950s and ’60s, but many of these older homes have been extremely well maintained over the years.
“Beaconsfield residents take pride in their homes,” Bourelle said. “Not many changes have taken place in the real estate landscape here over the last 10 years, other than many home renovations.”
In fact, the real estate market in Beaconsfield has had a healthy number of renovated properties selling for well above asking price this year.
As for new projects, the lack of available land in the community means that developments are few and far between, but two projects near Highway 20 are currently in the works, offering buyers options for townhouses and condos.
Adamus condos on Alton Drive will offer buyers one-, two-, and three-bedroom units starting at $255,000 in its new building located steps away from the Beaconsfield train station. And the Renaissance Station project located on Beaurepaire Drive near St-Charles Boulevard, the community ’s main commercial artery, features townhouses starting at $569,900.
“The community is highly prestigious, safe and environmentally friendly,” Bourelle said. “We have many family- and pet-friendly neighbourhoods and proud residents who want to be actively involved in their community.”