Village core: establishing a comprehensive plan

The Town of Sutton has made public the results of the survey that was launched last December asking for public opinion on the proposals that resulted from the Dream Sutton process impacting the village core. The survey received 1116 responses.

– Link to survey results –

This survey was not a vote and has no referendum value. It does not pretend to justify decisions that will be made by the municipal council in keeping with the budget and social acceptability. Its purpose was to simply take the pulse of public opinion, to see the reactions trends towards concrete projects that emerged during the consultation process of Dream Sutton on the “Village core: establishing a comprehensive plan”.

“The survey was anonymous because, again, it was not a vote,” said Mayor Robert Benoît. “The Town wanted to respect the confidentiality of the respondents as we did with the family and seniors survey. It may not have been perfect, but it was the first of its kind, bringing to the table broad-based thinking, asking the broader population about issues that affect our entire village. It is part of a participatory process that has finally allowed us to make great strides. I would like to thank all those who have sincerely participated in this democratic game.”

The questions asked in the survey focused on seven main themes: Main Street, Maple Street, Mobility: parking lots and paths, The site of the former Filtex factory, Cultural infrastructures, Community infrastructures and Special projects. There was fairly clear consensus on some proposals that could be implemented in the relatively short term, such as reducing the speed limit to 30 km/h between the two crossings on Principale Street, connecting Depot Street to Pine Street and Western Street, creating parking lots on the former Filtex factory site, and adding walking trails around the village core.

The longer-term subject of community infrastructure, including the community centre, continues to be sensitive and divisive. “We did not expect a unanimous response on the renovation or demolition of the John-Sleeth Centre, as the debate is still very much alive,” commented the Mayor. “But it was important to take stock of the opinions expressed. Now that the momentum is there, we will work with the group of organizations that have been mobilized on this community issue and we will present different scenarios to the public, based on financial analyses. The consultation process is not over!”

Following the initial consultation process of May 2022, the Town of Sutton is launching a major survey for its population to gather opinions on the various options proposed within the framework of the Dream Sutton project “Village core: establishing a comprehensive plan”. This survey is accompanied by the summary report of all the citizen meetings and consultations which were organized during the course of this process.

A seven-part survey

The survey is addressed exclusively to the residents of Sutton over 15 years of age, owners, and renters, permanent and temporary. The survey is divided into seven parts covering the main themes at the heart of these discussions: Principale Street, Maple Street, Mobility: Parking Lots and Paths, the Former Filtex Factory Site, Cultural Infrastructures, Community Infrastructures and Special Projects.

People are being asked to give their opinion on concrete proposals that resulted from all these consultations and the ideas of the Town and the public. This survey consists of forty-seven questions, of which the first four are for statistical purposes only. Citizens have until December 31, 2022, to respond. The survey is online, and paper copies will also be made available at the front desk reception of Town Hall. Responses are anonymous and confidential. [To access the survey in English: click in the upper right corner to change the language.]

The results of the survey will be announced in February 2023 and will be considered by Town Council. The council will then be asked to make decisions on the options selected, taking into account any studies that may be required to evaluate their feasibility.

The summary report of the consultations

To support this survey, the Town of Sutton is simultaneously publishing the summary report of the consultations submitted by Julie Lavallée. Ms. Lavallée’s mandate was to accompany the Town in its long consultation process. She orchestrated all the citizen meetings that took place between May and November 2022, encompassing nine brainstorming sessions with different targeted groups, two public meetings and an interactive exhibition that was open to the public during four weekends. This allowed us to get to the bottom of the issues impacting our population.

More than 430 people took part in person in this democratic process which is considerable in relation to the size of our population (4548 inhabitants in 2021, or 9.6%). And this is not including the online participation of citizens who published their comments or proposals directly on the website of Dream Sutton, under the heading Ideas Wall.

“We were impressed by the magnitude of so many citizens mobilizing towards this project that is close to our hearts,” said Mayor Robert Benoît. “The future of the village core concerns the entire population, present and future. We really intend to act so that in the near future, the projects that have been agreed upon will see the light of day. I wish to thank all citizens for their participation.”

In the summer of 2022, one of the Town’s brainstorming sessions brought together a citizen’s group including local architects, designers, and planners.

These skilled people who were highly motivated by the process, visualized together a professional plan for the town core of Sutton. They did so voluntarily. Their community-oriented ideas revolve around a new public square and a new community center at the heart of the village. Pedestrian/bicycle routes are subtly woven into the landscape and parking is decentralized.

Have a look at the plan and bring your own ideas! 

The Town of Sutton would like to thank Elisabeth Bouchard, Rebecca Bourque, Ilana Cantin, Renée D’Amours, Colette Roy, Emmanuelle Tittley and mister Alain Bergeron, Gilles Lavoie and Stéphane Lessard for their great ideas and their citizen participation.

This plan is a proposal that will continue to evolve. Please feel free to share your ideas and comments in the Ideas Wall section!

October 20, 2022 will mark the opening of the interactive exhibition concerning the reflections on the future of the village core. The population is invited to come and learn about the steps of the current process. The following information documents will be presented :

• Study reports analyzed for the process;
• Overall plans of the village core;
• History of the different municipal sites concerned;
• Notes from the brainstorming sessions held since June 2022;
• Plans proposed by local architects and designers consulted;
• Aerial views of the sites in photos and videos.

Two public meetings are scheduled for October 26 (in French) and 27 (in English) where citizens will be able to ask questions in person, participate in the discussions, exchange on the subject and leave suggestions and opinions on site or online. Mayor Robert Benoit will be present at each session.

The key topics are: Principale and Maple Streets, the John-Sleeth Cultural and Community Centre, the Sutton Museum of Communications and History and the former Filtex factory site.

The interactive exhibit will remain open to the public on weekends until November 13, 2022.

It’s time to have your say on the future of the village core!

Interactive Exhibition
Opening on Thursday, October 20 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Open Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. from October 22 to November 13, 2022
at the Sutton Museum of Communications and History

Public meetings
Wednesday, October 26, 2022, from 7 to 9 pm, in French
Thursday, October 27, from 7 to 9 p.m., in English
at the Sutton Museum of Communications and History

Several brainstorming sessions were conducted with various representative groups in Sutton. Participants were invited to reflect individually and collectively on a comprehensive plan for the village core. The process aimed to gather as much information as possible, particularly all the needs, proposals, apprehensions, ideas and suggestions of people concerned with the development of the three municipal sites. The results of these sessions, and the ideas that emerged, will be compiled in a report that will be made public by the end of 2022.

The sessions were organized by interest or specialist group in order to gather a wide range of ideas and expertise.

Groups consulted:

• Community and cultural organizations
• Entrepreneurs and merchants
• Institutional partners
• Citizens (French and English sessions) COMING SOON
• Architects, planners, designers, builders
• City councillors
• City administrative staff

The meetings with the citizens will take place at the Museum of Communications and History of Sutton where an interactive exhibit will present the information documents related to the process: studies, plans, summaries of the brainstorming meetings.

Come participate and contribute to the reflection!

Course of the brainstorming sessions :

• Explanation of the process
• Portrait of Sutton and the village core
• Synthesis of previous studies
• Presentation of community sites and real estate potential
• Cultural, sports and recreational life in Sutton
• Mobility issues

How would you define Sutton in one word? 

The people consulted during the brainstorming sessions agreed to spontaneously give a word that would define Sutton according to them. The result was very beautiful: look at all the words that came out!

Citizens, adults and children, will be able to add their own word by visiting the interactive exhibition at the Sutton Museum. The Town will make a final panel of these definitions.

The Town of Sutton has decided to implement a process of consultation and dialogue with its citizens in order to define, by December 2022, a comprehensive plan for the village core that will outline its future.

At the end of 2021, it undertook a complete analysis of the studies carried out on the three municipal sites over the past several years: the John-Sleeth Community and Cultural Centre, the Sutton Museum of Communications and History and the former Filtex factory site. In June 2022, the Town then began a consultation process with various community stakeholders, experts and local interest groups to gather as much information as possible to present to the public.

Brainstorming sessions were held from June to September 2022. These sessions allowed us to gather opinions and suggestions by interest group, while surveying the needs of our community and cultural organizations and those of the general population.

Among Sutton’s named priority needs:

• Increasing the supply of housing in the village with an emphasis on affordability.
• Protecting and enhancing the rural character of the area and the village.
• Determine the best location for a public plaza for socialization.
• Develop the best options for meeting community and cultural needs.
• Create an active mobility route through the village to highlight its cultural and community attractions.
• Define the optimal plan for traffic flow in the Village.

In October 2022, an interactive exhibition will be launched at the Museum of Communications and History of Sutton to allow the entire population to learn about the results of the first part of the process. Two public meetings are then planned for October 26 and 27, 2022 to answer questions and take the pulse of the population, which will then be able to give its opinion and suggestions based on the information gathered.

By December 2022, various proposals will have emerged that will allow us to collectively draw the broad outlines of a comprehensive plan for the village core. These proposals will be submitted by survey to the entire population. Afterwards, the selected projects will be analyzed on their cost and feasibility.

See the timeline on the right.

In February 2020, a public exhibition was held at the Arts Sutton gallery to present to the population the models of a village core reinvented by architecture students from the Université de Montréal. This project, supported by the Town of Sutton and directed by their professor, gave these students the opportunity to carry out an important structured work, aiming at imagining a redevelopment of the place.

The exhibition attracted many visitors, curious to see their ideas and proposals. Their work encouraged discussion: comments and suggestions from citizens were collected during the exhibition. Specific needs were named: common picnic areas, green spaces, opportunity to admire the landscape, dual purpose pond, gathering space (amphitheatre or community hall), sanitary space (toilets, outdoor shower), parking, bicycle and pedestrian space for mobility in the village core, conservation of the site’s heritage and history.