The municipal council of the City of Laval adopted on April 22^nd, 2021 a draft by-law of the urbanism code (hereinafter “CDU”) following the entry into force of its revised land use and planning development plan to comply with government guidelines, the Montreal Metropolitan Community’s Metropolitan Land Use and Development Plan (hereinafter “PMAD”) and its new strategic vision for an urban city by nature.

The by-law represents the last step to ensure compliance with all the guidelines issued by the various decision-making levels.

The CDU was drafted and thought out under the ideology of new urbanism, all while taking into account the development issues for Laval’s territory. Therefore, the by-law has been thought out to respond to the City’s challenges, notably in terms of sustainable development, climate change, optimizing urbanization and protecting natural environments and resources to name a few.

The by-law draft is inspired by the form-based code, an approach where the City is divided and organized by landscapes and types of living environments, from natural environments to the most urban centrality (see image 1). This framework offers the possibility to make the requirements in terms of real estate development, construction or land use planning more predictable and understandable, benefiting both the community and the city.

(image 1)

Per the Act respecting land use planning and development, the adoption of the first version of the by-law draft marks the start of the public consultation, allowing citizens to comment on the draft and give suggestions to improve it before the adoption of its version final and its entry into force. Dates for the latter have yet to be set at this time.

The public consultation is the next step towards the adoption of the by-law, starting with the public information sessions scheduled for May 18 and 19, 2021.

For more details, we invite you to visit the City of Laval’s website on the revision of urban planning regulations and its virtual portal detailing the draft.

We also invite you to consult the stages of the by-law revision (see image 2 below).

(image 2)

For any questions regarding the impact of this By-law draft on your rights, do not hesitate to contact the Beauregard avocats team.