The boroughs of Saint-Laurent and Ahuntsic-Cartierville have taken a new step in the detailed planning of the Bois-Franc transit-oriented development (TOD) area with the tabling in June 2020 of the final report (in French) prepared for this purpose by the firm Provencher_Roy.

The planning process, the fruit of a collaboration between the two boroughs, was carried out with financial assistance from the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM). It was the subject of a public consultation and was followed by a brainstorming session in which community representatives, public and private partners, students and professionals took part.

What is TOD Bois-Franc?

First of all, a TOD is a medium- to high-density real estate development, structured around a high-capacity public transit station, such as a train station, a subway station, a light rail station or a bus stop. Located within walking distance of a major access point within the public transit system, a TOD is a neighbourhood that combines active transportation, social mix and urban design, in particular.

The Bois-Franc TOD area extends within a radius of one kilometre (1 km) from the Bois-Franc train station. The station—part of the Deux-Montagnes exo train line at the present time—will be replaced by the Bois-Franc station of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) by 2023, which will bring major changes to this neighbourhood located on the boundaries of the boroughs of Saint-Laurent and Ahuntsic-Cartierville.

Highlights of the Bois-Franc TOD 

The revitalization and requalification processes planned for the sector are spread over a period of more than 20 years. Eventually, the development concept drawn up for detailed planning purposes identifies the following development potential: 

• 7,700 new housing units
• 39,600 m² of office space 
• 37,700 m² of commercial area
• 23,300 m² of floor space dedicated to institutional functions
• 104,350 m² of parks, public squares and green spaces (±), which together with the green spaces to be developed and the existing parks would eventually account for nearly 17% of the TOD area.

The project was awarded the Grand prix du Design 2022.