Municipality of Sainte-Martine – Development Plan for the Sustainable Neighbourhood of "Les Terres du Soleil"

The Municipality of Sainte-Martine will prepare a sustainable development plan for the future neighbourhood called “Les Terres du Soleil” in order to identify and integrate design and sustainable planning strategies upstream from the planning process. The site is the last large developable plot of land in Sainte-Martine located outside the protected agricultural zone which is presently under considerable pressure by developers. To launch the plan, the Municipality will involve different municipal departments such as the Engineering and Recreation Departments as well as members of the urban planning advisory committee to work on a sustainable development vision for the future neighbourhood. The community will identify sustainable development objectives and criteria regarding management of water consumption, energy, transportation and residual matter. Sustainable management of rain water will be given priority because of the present contamination of the water table throughout the region as well as the geographic location of the community at the end of the drinking water network. Municipal residents will be consulted via a public meeting in order to make them aware of these issues and revise the preliminary version of the plan based on comments received. At the end of the process, the Municipality will adjust its zoning and construction bylaws to allow for maximum conservation of resources. This initiative will allow Sainte-Martine to find an alternative solution to the pressing question of managing its water resource and encourage developers to adopt innovative and sustainable design modes for the neighbourhood. (Project description from original funding application)