Champlain urban village: the quintessential 15-minute neighbourhood

Since 1985, Brigil has maintained a long-term development vision and works closely with the City of Gatineau and key community stakeholders to bring it to life.

Just as the protection and enhancement of built and cultural heritage are core priorities, environmental protection is central to our reflections and emerges from our corporate values. The Brigil team is inspired by a desire to create “complete neighborhoods” that encourage active transportation, local shopping, and a vibrant culture, while reducing reliance on automobiles. It is this vision of evolving collective well-being that makes us civic builders.

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The New Champlain Urban Village by Brigil: An Innovative and Sustainable Community

In this same spirit, Brigil recently launched the large-scale Champlain Urban Village project in the Aylmer sector. This innovative residential project aligns with modern urban planning trends and applies the best principles of densification, environmental stewardship, design, and lifestyle enhancement. The result: a real estate portfolio adapted to the area’s strong demographic growth.

In the 1990s, Brigil’s founding president, Gilles Desjardins, explored the land and immediately fell in love with its topography and natural setting. He quickly recognized the enormous potential of the lot, once intended for embassy construction. Surrounded by three golf courses, the Ottawa River, and connected to numerous natural trails and bike paths, the site enjoys a prime location. Moreover, it is less than 2 kilometers from the Champlain Bridge, 6.5 km from Hull’s downtown, and only 8 km from the Parliament in Ottawa.

Between 1996 and 2000, Brigil monitored upcoming trends through expert reports, which already identified the need to densify the area to accommodate future population growth.

In 2001, during the land sale planning process for approximately 460,000 m², an ecological corridor of over 100,000 m² was identified and protected, along with a plot later dedicated to public infrastructure such as a school or park. This left approximately 340,000 m² for Brigil’s vision: a beautiful “15-minute neighborhood” including housing, bike paths, public gathering spaces, and numerous additional green areas, such as two green corridors and a central park.

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The ABC of a “Complete Neighborhood”

Between 2002 and 2005, as a pioneer, Brigil met with key stakeholders to present its vision of a “complete neighborhood”—a neighborhood where residents can live, work, and play, all within 15 minutes by foot or bike from home. Always aiming to reduce car dependence and promote a sustainable and friendly lifestyle, Brigil implemented an approach that encourages safe and secure public transit.

Champlain Urban Village is designed according to TOD and POD principles (transit-oriented and pedestrian-oriented development), focusing on public transit and pedestrian/cyclist accessibility. These concepts increase the use of alternative transportation and facilitate access to transit stations, particularly the future West Tramway, as well as the local commercial core accessible on foot.

This site is a gem, both in location and development potential. That is why Brigil’s president carefully analyzed the various options to deliver a flagship project that fully realizes this exceptional site’s potential. The idea of “wasting” such a site with low-density development was never considered.

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A Project Based on Collaboration

Brigil organized a public consultation in 2020 to discuss its vision and project directions, which were very well received. Offering the perfect balance between nature and urban life, this “15-minute neighborhood” includes numerous services and nearby activities, such as local shops and cafés, telework spaces, and ample green spaces and parks.

Brigil makes it a priority to collaborate and respond to concerns the project may raise. In addition to discussions with the “Friends of the Champlain Corridor Forest,” representatives from the group “Mères au front” were invited on April 24 to exchange views on shared environmental objectives.

This meeting initiated a dialogue on climate change. As civic builders, we appreciated learning more about Mères au front’s concerns and goals. We carefully reviewed their requests with the help of multiple experts, including the environmental report produced by Capital Nature.

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A New Way to Imagine Urban Development

An original master plan was adopted by city council in 2016. The first phase, totaling two buildings and about 100 rental units, was launched in fall 2021 and is fully rented. Brigil has received all authorizations for the second phase, which will include 329 units, a community building, and a pool.

Ultimately, Champlain Urban Village will consist of high-end rental units, single-family homes for sale, commercial spaces, and public gathering areas. Subsequent phases will follow over the coming years to complete a multi-thousand-unit urban village.

A Project Focused on Sustainability and Reducing Environmental Impact

The Brigil team carefully integrated various building types to account for sunlight and wind. Safety is also a priority, with sidewalks and trails adapted for all, including those with reduced mobility. This thoughtful design promotes well-being while reducing car dependency and toxic emissions. Socially, the “complete neighborhood” has proven favorable to equity, social connection, and community building.

Taking full advantage of surrounding natural areas, the project preserves ponds and wooded areas, including 14,000 m² at the heart of the development featuring majestic mature oaks. These efforts are essential to maintaining the ecological integrity of the Ottawa River and Gatineau Park. Local biodiversity is further supported through the planting of native flowers and plants that require no fertilization, community gardens, and a rainwater recovery system to prevent runoff and allow gradual soil absorption. Finally, a network of extensively vegetated trails ensures connectivity between natural areas (creating ecological corridors) where flora and fauna can move and sustain regional biodiversity.