Magog wants to know citizens’ views on Exit 118 development

The City of Magog is inviting the public to participate in a brainstorming session to imagine the development of the area of exit 118 off Highway 10. This participatory consultation will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 29, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Magog Community Center. Interested persons must register before Wednesday, January 23 at 5 p.m. online at ville.magog.qc.ca/sortie118 or by phone at 819 843-3333, extension 336.

"The area around exit 118 is one of the most important entrances to the City of Magog with nearly 10,000 vehicles passing through every day, not counting the traffic during the tourist season. This is the first image of the city that many people have when arriving here," said Mayor Vicki-may Hamm. "We have an interest in developing the sector, but before we begin our reflection, we want to hear from citizens and include them in the discussion from the beginning."

Participants will be encouraged to share their vision of the sector. More specifically, the study area includes the land located on the periphery of Rivièreaux-cerises Rd (between Highway 10 and Orford) and that located on Merry North, south of the highway.

The Director of Planning and Land Development at the City of Magog, Réal Girard, said that all ideas will be welcome: "We want citizens to let their imagination run and express their vision of this nerve sector. What do they want to see on the outskirts of Exit 118? Should the City extend its water and sewer services? These are the kinds of topics to be discussed on Jan. 29, and it is hoped that many people will be part of the discussion. "

The consultations will take the form of small-group workshops where citizens will express their vision of sector development in different ways. A pooling of the proposals made during the evening will take place later. The urban plan will be able to rely on the proposals and the consensus that emerge from this exercise and discussions will also serve to guide council members if a project in this area is proposed to them.

For the session, the City of Magog will be accompanied by a team from the Department of Political Science of the Université de Sherbrooke, with whom it is starting a process to develop a Citizen Participation Policy, details of which will be given shortly.