Côte Saint-Luc adopts first master plan overhaul in 20 years, projects 4,000 new homes
Côte Saint-Luc has adopted a fully revised Master Plan, its first complete overhaul in two decades. The plan sets a course for roughly 4,000 new homes and a 35 percent population increase over the next 20 years. The document, formally known as the Planning Program, replaces a framework that hadn’t seen a substantive update in years and was only patched in 2017 to align with the Schéma d’aménagement de développement de l’agglomération de Montréal.
If you live in Côte Saint-Luc, own property here, or run a business along Cavendish Boulevard or Westminster Avenue, this plan will shape what gets built around you, how tall it can be, and how many parking spots come with it. The city council passed the plan after a tabling period that began in November 2024, following months of public consultations. Mayor Mitchell Brownstein’s administration, with councillor David Tordjman leading much of the growth messaging, frames the plan as a response to demographic and housing pressures that have been building for years.
Key takeaways
- Expect roughly 4,000 new housing units over the plan’s 20-year horizon, concentrated mainly around the Décarie Square and Quartier Cavendish redevelopment zones rather than spread evenly across the city.
- Three shopping malls are now formally eligible for redevelopment, meaning property owners can begin exploring mixed-use proposals that combine retail with residential towers or mid-rise housing.
- New parking caps apply to future residential units, so if you’re planning a development or buying into one, check the per-unit parking ratio before assuming traditional suburban parking allotments still apply.
- A new intersection at Cavendish Boulevard and Veterans Park will alter traffic patterns in that corridor, so residents who commute through the area should watch for construction notices as design work proceeds.
- The Parks and Green Spaces Master Plan, a companion policy costing $88,039.30, is nearly finished and will likely affect how green space is allocated within the new higher-density zones.
What the new master plan actually changes
The plan’s headline shift is density. Côte Saint-Luc, long characterized by low-rise apartment buildings and single-family homes, is now planning for vertical growth in specific corridors rather than uniform sprawl. According to CSL City News, the most consequential elements include the redevelopment of the city’s three shopping malls, zoning changes on Westminster and Caldwell avenues, and a redesigned intersection near Cavendish and Veterans Park.
Three malls slated for redevelopment
Côte Saint-Luc’s three malls, aging retail centers that have struggled to compete with larger shopping destinations in neighboring boroughs, are now positioned for mixed-use conversion. The concept isn’t unique to this city: municipalities across Quebec have been converting underused retail footprints into housing as e-commerce erodes traditional mall foot traffic. What’s notable here is that the master plan names all three properties directly rather than leaving redevelopment to piecemeal rezoning requests, giving developers a clearer regulatory path.
Westminster and Caldwell avenue rezoning
Westminster and Caldwell avenues will see zoning adjustments that permit different building types than what’s currently allowed. The city hasn’t published detailed zoning maps for public review yet, but the master plan document flags both corridors as transition areas where low-density residential zoning will give way to higher-density permissions. If you own a property on either street, check with the city’s planning department before assuming your current zoning designation still applies once the bylaw amendments catch up to the master plan.
New Cavendish and Veterans Park intersection
Mayor Brownstein, in comments following adoption, said the city will introduce a new intersection at the corner of Cavendish near Veterans Park. This is a direct infrastructure response to anticipated traffic growth from nearby housing development. The intersection redesign will need its own engineering and permitting process separate from the master plan’s adoption, so construction is unlikely to begin right away.
David Tordjman’s growth plan: the numbers behind 4,000 homes and 35% population growth
David Tordjman’s growth plan puts hard numbers on what has largely been an abstract conversation about Côte Saint-Luc’s future. Tordjman, speaking about the master plan’s projections, anticipates 4,000 new homes and a 35 percent jump in population over the next 20 years, according to reporting on the plan’s adoption.
For context, Côte Saint-Luc’s current population sits at roughly 34,000 residents. A 35 percent increase would push that figure toward 46,000, a scale of growth the city hasn’t seen in decades. That kind of jump doesn’t happen through infill alone. It requires the concentrated redevelopment the plan targets at Décarie Square, Quartier Cavendish, and the three malls.
“The city will cap the number of parking spots per unit and we will introduce a new intersection at the corner of Cavendish near Veteran’s Park,” Mayor Mitchell Brownstein said following the plan’s adoption.
Here’s how the growth projection compares to current city figures:
| Metric | Current | Projected (20-year horizon) |
|---|---|---|
| Population | ~34,000 | ~46,000 (+35%) |
| New housing units | N/A | ~4,000 |
| Malls eligible for redevelopment | 0 formally designated | 3 |
| Master plan revisions | Last major overhaul: pre-2005 | First full revamp in 20 years |
Décarie Square and Quartier Cavendish: the housing redevelopment sites explained
Décarie Square and Quartier Cavendish are the two anchor sites for the plan’s density targets. Both sit along transit-accessible corridors, making them logical candidates for mixed-use towers that combine ground-floor retail with residential units above, a format increasingly common in off-island Montreal suburbs facing similar housing pressure.
Neither site is a blank lot. Décarie Square already hosts commercial development, and Quartier Cavendish is anchored by an existing shopping center that has undergone partial redevelopment in recent years. The master plan builds on that existing momentum rather than starting from zero, which likely explains why city officials expect construction to move faster here than in newly rezoned corridors like Westminster and Caldwell.
Parking caps and density rules for new units
The plan caps the number of parking spots permitted per residential unit, a departure from the more generous parking minimums that have historically governed Quebec suburban development. This mirrors a broader shift among Montreal-area municipalities toward reducing car dependency in new construction, particularly near bus and future transit corridors. For developers, the cap changes project economics: less land dedicated to parking means more square footage available for units, but it also assumes residents will rely more heavily on transit or shared mobility.
How the plan moved from council table to adoption
Timeline: November 2024 tabling to final passage
City Council formally tabled the Master Plan and related documents at a Special Council Meeting on Wednesday, November 20, 2024. That tabling triggered the mandatory public consultation period required under Quebec’s municipal planning legislation before a council can vote on final adoption. The Parks and Green Spaces Master Plan, a companion policy launched September 11, 2024, and costing $88,039.30, moved through a parallel but separate track and remains nearly complete rather than fully adopted alongside the main plan.
Public consultation and resident pushback
Public consultations followed the November tabling, giving residents, property owners, and business operators the chance to weigh in on rezoning proposals, density targets, and the mall redevelopment concept. Council meeting records and city communications don’t detail the full volume of resident objections, but the extended timeline between tabling and final passage suggests the consultation period generated enough feedback to warrant revision before the vote. Residents concerned about traffic near the proposed Cavendish and Veterans Park intersection were among those who raised concerns during this period, according to city council discussion referenced in local coverage.
What residents and businesses should expect next
Permitting and construction timeline
Adoption of the master plan doesn’t mean shovels go into the ground next month. Zoning bylaw amendments still need to catch up to the plan’s designations, a process that typically takes additional council votes and, in some cases, further public consultation under Quebec’s Act respecting land use planning and development. If you’re a property owner in one of the rezoned corridors, expect the practical zoning changes affecting your parcel to lag behind the master plan’s adoption by months, possibly longer for the more complex mall redevelopment sites.
Costs, budget line items, and the Parks and Green Spaces Master Plan
The Parks and Green Spaces Master Plan carries a documented cost of $88,039.30 for the combined policy work, according to city planning documents. That figure covers planning and consultation costs, not construction or land acquisition, which will require separate budget allocations as specific park and green space projects move forward within the newly densified zones. Residents should watch upcoming municipal budget cycles for line items tied to infrastructure upgrades, including the Cavendish and Veterans Park intersection, since master plan adoption typically precedes, rather than includes, capital budget commitments.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Côte Saint-Luc master plan?
It’s the city’s revised Planning Program, a legally mandated municipal document that guides zoning, land use, density, and infrastructure decisions over a 20-year horizon. This version is the first complete revamp in 20 years, replacing a framework that had only been partially updated since 2017.
When was the Côte Saint-Luc master plan adopted?
City Council tabled the plan at a Special Council Meeting on November 20, 2024, and formally passed it following the required public consultation period, as confirmed in city council meeting records and local news coverage.
Which malls in Côte Saint-Luc are being redeveloped?
The plan identifies the city’s three shopping malls as eligible for redevelopment, though it doesn’t name specific new tenants or finalized architectural plans. Property owners at these sites can now pursue mixed-use proposals combining retail and housing under the new framework.
How many new homes will the master plan add?
City officials, including councillor David Tordjman, project approximately 4,000 new housing units over the plan’s 20-year timeline, concentrated largely around Décarie Square, Quartier Cavendish, and the three mall redevelopment sites.
Where can I read the full Côte Saint-Luc master plan PDF?
The city has published the Master Plan and related documents through its official planning program page, listed under “City of Côte Saint-Luc, Planning Program 2026” in municipal records. Residents can request the complete PDF through the city’s planning department or check the municipal website’s planning and zoning section for the current posted version.