A large manufacturing project awaits space in the industrial zone

In order for the land not to become part of the agricultural area, an application must be submitted 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 went through in 2022 when submitting its application to exclude an area of ​​about 24 hectares for the expansion of its industrial park. The area in question is located south of Interstate 20, near the current industrial park.

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 Lorraine, Mayor of Montmagny, states that this project is important for its economic value, but also for the positive impact it could have on the housing shortage in Quebec.

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 the 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, densification and labor shortage 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 manufacture the modules in advance, and all that will remain is to assemble them on site, which will be faster and more economical. The targeted area, close to the highway and the railway, will also be ideal for transporting these modules.

Applications are submitted to the CPTAQ by the MRC de Montmagny and are evaluated by the committee at the MRC level. In its decision on the last rezoning application, the CPTAQ mentioned spaces with sufficient area in non-agricultural areas in other municipalities. We can read: “On the scale of the MRC and more specifically in the territories of Cap Saint-Ignace and Saint-François as well as Bretinières, 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 zone will remain complete. The city therefore plans to draft new applications in the coming years so that other entrepreneurs can obtain space.