The measures adopted by the City Council to speed up housing construction are beginning to bear fruit

Dec 17, 2024

At the monthly public City Council meeting, the City of Edmundston's Housing Coordinator, Isabelle Laplante, explained that four projects have been submitted for the construction of rental housing on municipal land located on Isidore-Boucher and Mgr-Numa-Pichette Boulevards and at the intersection of Zaichick/Gagné streets. 

Calls for projects opened on December 12 and will be subject to in-depth analysis by an internal committee. The winning projects are due to be announced in early February.

"We are very pleased with the response to this first round of calls for projects, and we're already looking forward to the second round. We can see that our city and our geography offer unique potential for residential development, and that there are some fine vacant lots that could be used to build the much-needed future housing units in the heart of our neighbourhoods," explained Mrs. Laplante.

Thanks to the support of the federal and provincial governments, the City of Edmundston is offering $5.2 million in funding to facilitate the construction of housing units, of which nearly $2 million is being offered in direct incentives, while the balance will be used for infrastructure work, site acquisition and preparation, and other initiatives related to this major, unprecedented program.

"Adding housing is everyone's business. Collaboration with the private sector, community partners, NPOs and housing cooperatives is essential for the construction of new housing units, while ensuring that the programs promote the construction and conversion of quality buildings," explained Edmundston Mayor Eric Marquis.

The mayor also points out that all projects are subject to the same process, meaning that the municipal team :

• conducts geotechnical studies (soil surveys)
• applies the municipal zoning by-law
• controls construction/renovations via the municipal building by-law
• prioritizes development in areas served by water and sewer infrastructure
• requires development plans and surface water management plans for major new projects
• re-evaluates all of these best practices on a regular basis to ensure that they evolve correctly with the reality of our city.

The next round of calls for projects will take place in the spring and will target municipal properties located at the intersection of Canada Road and De l'Église Street; Laboissonnière Street and Saint-Sacrement Street. For more information on the Municipal Housing Acceleration Program, please CLICK HERE.

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CONTACT: Mad. Isabelle Laplante, Senior Coordinator, Economic Development and Housing, 506.739.2080, isabelle.laplante@edmundston.ca