A large manufacturing project awaits space in the industrial zone

In order for the land not to become part of the agricultural zone, a request must be made by the relevant MRC to the Commission for the Protection of Agricultural Lands of Quebec (CPTAQ). This is the process that the City of Montmagny undertook in 2022 when it submitted its request to exclude an area of ​​approximately 24 hectares to expand its industrial zone. The area in question is located south of Highway 20, near the existing industrial zone.

Towards the end of 2023, the application submitted by the MRC in Montmagny was finally rejected. However, the city of Montmagny decided not to abandon the project and submitted a new application to the Montmagny Migrant Resource Center for a smaller portion of the initial area. This is the space Maisons Laprise will need for the pre-built residential complex project.

Marc Lauren, Mayor of Montmagny, said that this project is important for its economic value, but also for the positive impact it could have on Quebec's housing shortage.

On the land covered by the rezoning application, Maisons Laprise wants to create a center of expertise and technology for modular construction. A large building must be built, but the company will also need a large plot of land to store the units.

During presentations to CPTAQ as part of the first rezoning application, Daniel Laprise, president of the Laprise Group, emphasized that he has been working on his project for many years and that he believes it can help with the housing crisis, rising densification and labor shortages in the construction sector. In fact, although he already builds prefabricated homes, he wants to apply this concept more to the construction of residential complexes. His company will pre-manufacture the units, and all that will remain is to assemble them on site, which will be faster and more economical. The targeted area near the highway and railways will also be ideal for transporting these units.

Applications to the CPTAQ are submitted by the MRC de Montmagny and evaluated by the committee at MRC level. In its decision on the recent rezoning application, CPTAQ cited tracts of sufficient size in non-agricultural areas in other municipalities. We can read: “Across the MRC and specifically in the territories of Cap-Saint-Ignace, Saint-François as well as Pretignyre, the vacant spaces represent an area much larger than the area targeted by the application.”

Mr. Laurent says that he understands that these analyses are being carried out on the scale of the MRC, but it is difficult to imagine such a project being installed in Saint-Just-de-Bretignye rather than Montmagny, because the municipality is located on a high ground and far from the highway, which would greatly complicate the transportation of the large units produced by Maisons Laprise. For other municipalities, the land would not have all the services or would be far from the main roads.

The mayor says he is more confident about this new request just submitted by the Montmagny Migrant Resource Centre. He points out that for a project that could have so many positive effects at the provincial level, protests have been made to the offices of some ministers.

However, even if the application is accepted, the Montmagny industrial park will remain complete. So the city plans to draft new applications in the coming years so other entrepreneurs can get space.