- Optimize development of the area
- Mitigate nuisances that are likely to affect the
quality of the environment
- Improve overall accessibility
- Enhance the waterside roadway and industrial heritage elements
Planning issues
Following a long period of intense industrial activity, the East Lachine area is in serious decline. Some companies have shut down, while others have dramatically cut back their operations, so that the area now offers major potential for urban redevelopment. The redevelopment of a few dozen hectares of land whose uses are to be determined, should benefit from the presence of the Lachine Canal, Rue Notre-Dame, Old Lachine and the expressway network.
The rehabilitation of contaminated sites will probably be one of the biggest challenges in redeveloping the area. Studies are required in order to determine the nature of the contamination and the extent of the work required. It is very likely that special funding will be required for this purpose.
The nearby expressway and rail networks make this area easily accessible. However, these very structures also isolate the area. The redevelopment of the area is an opportunity to break this isolation by extending Victoria eastward and creating openings to the Lachine Canal. Moreover, a detailed study will be necessary to mitigate the congestion problem at the intersection of Chemin Musée, Boulevard Saint-Joseph and 6e Avenue.
The area is also characterized by the junction, at the end of the Lachine Canal, of sections of the waterside roadway that run along the river and the Canal’s south bank. This junction should be reconfigured while completing the bikeway network on the north bank of the Canal. Finally, action is needed to enhance the area’s industrial heritage, composed of an array of different buildings and engineering works.
