COMMUNITY SNAPSHOT
St-laurent’s Bois-franc neighbourhood
As far as planned communities on the island of Montreal go, the St-laurent neighbourhood of Bois-franc can easily be thought of as an example worth following. The community was carefully created by two prominent developers, Sotramont and Montclair, working closely with the borough.
Together, the two builders have erected thousands of dwellings in the Bois-franc territory, from mixed-use condo buildings to exclusive townhouses, and more. Now that the community is maturing, with new commercial spaces and a handful of new residential projects about to begin, the neighbourhood’s appeal continues to grow, especially among young families and professionals.
“It’s such an attractive neighbourhood because it allows people to live close to transit options, and that’s going to become even more pronounced once the REM begins operating,” said Alain Desousa, mayor of St-laurent. “I’m also hopeful that we can keep pushing for the extension of the métro’s Orange Line that would come at least up to Bois-franc. The transit aspect is definitely an attractive piece for the future development of the neighbourhood.”
The borough is also looking to add to Bois-franc’s already abundant services, as well as its green spaces which currently occupy 31 per cent of the neighbourhood’s territory.
“There’s a nice park scheduled to be built, and with the growth that we’ve had we’re also looking for locations for another primary school to address the need in our burgeoning community,” Mayor Desousa said. “These are basic services that benefit residents’ quality of life, and we’re quite hopeful to see these projects through to fruition.”
Green spaces are particularly important as they have been carefully incorporated throughout the development of Bois-franc in order to enable residents to maintain a connection to nature, and provide venues for families and children to play and gather.
“People have ample spaces to relax, have a picnic, find some peace and quiet, and spend time with their families and neighbours,” said Nicolas Galardo, director of sales and marketing at Montclair. “These locations where everyone can get together really help contribute to a community feeling, and that’s such an important element of the fabric of Bois-franc.”
In fact, the entire community was designed with new urbanism in mind, meaning its streets and green spaces were carefully planned for family-oriented living.
“New urbanism really means that the layout of the streets and avenues is done in a way to minimize traffic,” Galardo said. “It makes for a safer neighbourhood for families and kids in the area.”
Élise Rossi, real estate broker with Remax 3000, has worked and lived in the Bois-franc community since the early 2000s.
New urbanism really means that the layout of the streets and avenues is done in a way to minimize traffic.
NICOLAS GALARDO
“At the time, the quality of residential construction was a factor that attracted my family,” Rossi said. “Since then, with a neighbourhood development plan focused on architectural servitude and a network of diverse parks for all seasons, our neighbourhood life is very inspiring.
“It would be difficult for me to change locations now.”
The state of the real estate market in Bois-franc is directly reflective of buyers’ appetite for living in such a modern and well-served community.
In fact, many of the projects in the neighbourhood are sold out completely. That said, there are still properties available at a range of price points.
For instance, townhouses in the Square Norseman project, which start at 3,150 square feet and include a terrace, finished basement, and a double garage, are priced from $879,000. Condos in the WR3 project, which is 75 per cent sold, start at $364,550, and units in the Wilfred project, currently under construction, start at $385,480.
One new project to keep an eye on in Bois-franc is Curtiss Condos. With more than 600 units and common amenities including swimming pools and garden spaces, the project is a long-awaited addition to the growing community. Moreover, its location at the corner of Henri-bourassa West and Marcel Laurin Boulevards will place it immediately across from the new REM train station. In fact, the addition of the REM will serve to amplify transportation for the entire community.
“Some of our projects will be 350 metres away from the REM station,” Galardo said. “The access to public transportation running 16 or 18 hours a day with access to the airport and downtown in a matter of minutes will create an even more unbeatable package, and that’s why buyers want to live here.”
The close-knit nature of the community, combined with all of the convenience factors, make Bois-franc an interesting option for a huge range of buyers.
“It’s a very safe place on the island of Montreal where young and old can happily coexist,” Rossi said.“it’s easy to live here.”