Rehabilitation of a sandpit into a residential neighbourhood: Sustainable development action plan

The municipality of Bolton-Est extends over nearly 81 km2 and has a little over 2,000 residents (permanent and seasonal population). The goal of the project is to rehabilitate a sandpit into a residential neighbourhood by integrating the principles of sustainable development. The sandpit, which is mostly made up of a large grove, is located behind the municipal park and adjacent to the village core. The municipality therefore sees an opportunity to implement a residential project that would make it possible, on the one hand, to attract young families and revitalize the community and, on the other hand, to integrate the principles of sustainable development in line with the vision that city council redefined in winter 2019. The objective is to protect the natural environment of the territory by characterizing the ecology of the site and implementing various protection mechanisms. Several basic principles of sustainable development are mentioned, such as the preservation of ecological corridors, the management of runoff water, the densification of spaces, walkability, the creation of several gathering places, and mixed usages. The rehabilitation of a sandpit into a residential neighbourhood obviously has environmental objectives, but it also has socioeconomic goals such as attracting young families, creating a social dynamic, and promoting nearby businesses and services. This project is in line with several by-laws, plans and policies of the region and the municipality, including the municipal development plan adopted in February 2019, which includes objectives such as environmental preservation, responsible development, and the creation of a new community and economic dynamic. Innovative aspects Considering the size and geographic location of the municipality, the innovative aspects include the following: • The usage conversion of an industrial site into a residential neighbourhood, and the densification of a village core • The involvement of a group of master’s students from the University of Sherbrooke who will contribute to the development plan and analyze the sustainable development principles Replicability There is a good opportunity at the regional level for sharing the knowledge acquired from the results and the lessons learned from the development of the plan to rehabilitate a sandpit into a residential neighbourhood in the municipality of Bolton-Est. (Project description from original funding application)