Social housing on Gaétan-Laberge a reality

Regarding the two residential co-ops, a non-profit organization was supposed to have built housing units on the site of the former Presto foods wholesaler, on Rielle Street, but was eventually forced to relinquish that site. The land is contaminated and would have necessitated a large investment of money, for it to conform to residential use. Since this past winter, a solution has been sought, and in the end, the three buildings on Gaétan-Laberge Blvd seemed to be the best choice. After some hesitation from the borough, councillor Tassé met with the people in charge of the projects and announced the good news.

Coop Rêve Bleu, destined for women 50 years and older living alone, will have 26 units and will be adjacent to Coop Casa Bella, which will have 36 housing units for families with children. With regards to OSBL Entre-deux-âges, conceived for people with limited independence, it will be a building with 86 units and will have a community kitchen. The exact number of the units for each of the projects has not yet been defined, because the architects have to evaluate the space available to construct, taking into consideration parking. Once upon a time, there was talk of 111 units on the Presto site. Now they are talking of 148 units on Gaéten-Laberge. Councillor Tassé confided to the Messager that the project architects for the private condo projects and the ones involved in the Groupe des resources techniques (GRT) Bâtir son quartier worked together to harmonize the buildings on the site.

Diane Lamothe from Rêve Bleu and Sylvie Daigneault from Casa Bella shared their enthusiasm with the Messager, regarding the decision taken by the Verdun borough.