Le quartier Cité Créative, ex-EAI, poursuit sa transformation. Midi Libre – DORIAN CAYUELA
A new methodology, proposed by the digital platform Welcooom, allows future buyers to participate in the design of their home. Explanations.
A new type of participatory housing is about to see the light of day at Cité Créative. The participatory programming platform Welcooom was chosen by Altémed to support two projects led by Cogim Art and Giboire for 93 housing units. The presence of real estate developers is a first. Usually, it is the citizens who are at the origin of participatory housing. They design their housing together, with common areas, with the aim of sharing an ecological and community lifestyle at a lower cost. At Mas Cobado, in the Grisettes district for example, three guest rooms are shared, the vegetable garden, the garden and the terrace are collective. At Cité créative, the project remains to be written but only a roof terrace will be shared.
A questionnaire to find out the needs
A first information meeting took place at the end of January in the Halle Tropisme, near which the two lots (6Fa and 6Hb) will be built. After the presentation by the representatives of Welcooom and the developers, the ten people present at the information meeting were invited to take part in the programming survey posted online on the site. “Your answers will influence both the design of housing and communal spaces”, explains Cyrille Poy. The questions concern the layout of the housing and the facilities in the common areas (bicycle storage, building security, size of the elevator, etc.).
Delivery scheduled for 2027
“This is not a classic participatory project, acknowledges the Welcooom spokesperson. Construction is not participatory in the sense that you become the project owner.” This approach requires additional commitment and then extremely rigorous management on a daily basis. Cyrille Poy cites the example of a communal laundry room: “You need a schedule, everyone can't go and do their laundry at the same time!”Marylise, retired in a comfortable house on Avenue de Lodève in Montpellier, agrees. “Participatory housing can be cumbersome and long to get started.” With delivery scheduled for 2027, this is not the case for the Cité Créative project. This Montpellier resident, attracted by “this neighborhood that has character close to the city center”, appreciates the possibility “of intervening on the volumes”. “The term participatory may seem a bit usurped but the developers care about the occupant.” But the approach seems to suit her, as does the rapprochement with the neighborhood. “There is an over-demand for single women.”
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000Commercialized in free and BRS
Another particularity of this real estate project: it is marketed partly under Real Solidarity Lease (€3,200/m²) and under Free Accession (5,200 m²). The BRS, which separates the land from the building, is accessible subject to resource conditions. The purchaser must also pay a fee to the Solidarity Land Office equivalent to €1.30/m² per month. Not owning the land, the purchaser also pays the property tax. A paradox noted by a potential buyer who is not discouraged by this.
44 dwellings on one side, 46 on the other
We already know that Giboire, who is in charge of the construction of lot 6Fa, is planning two buildings in R + 5 and R + 6 with a commercial activity on the ground floor. 12 dwellings out of 44 will be accessible in BRS. At Cogim, 46 apartments including 14 in BRS, are planned. All these dwellings (from T1 to T6) will be connected to the heating network of the district's biomass boiler room. When will it be necessary to start paying ? “The schedule will be progressive for a sale in future state of completion.” You have to hurry. 160 people have already responded to the online questionnaire.
The conditions for acquiring a Real Solidarity Lease
The real solidarity lease is subject to various constraints. First, resource conditions established according to the zones. In Montpellier, it is not necessary to exceed 38,508 euros for a single person, 57,555 for two people (excluding young households), 75,447 euros for three people, 90,078 euros for four people, etc. The average price for this transaction is 38% cheaper than the market price. A land fee of 1.30 euros/m2 must be paid each month to the OFS. The acquisition is made as a primary residence. Resale is possible but the price is regulated. Just like renting the property.
Cyrille Poy: “Our solution is aimed at the greatest number”
How does the Welcooom platform work ?
The platform invites future buyers to fill out an online form. It is therefore a participatory approach, but not everyone can improvise. Previously, half of new housing production went to investors through the Pinel law system. The other half were owner-occupiers. With the end of Pinel since December 31, we realize that there is a mismatch between supply and demand.
Your platform therefore helps developers to build housing that meets the needs of future buyers?
Yes, it allows us to analyze the real local demand for housing. We can no longer program off-site studies in order to build housing. Thanks to the respondents, we can know their age, whether they have children, their transportation needs, etc. This information is useful to developers but also to planners. The city can recalibrate its projects based on our data.
This is not participatory housing as we usually understand it.
Yes, we accept it. Our solution is aimed at the greatest number. Participatory housing is not for everyone, it takes a lot of time.
How many responses have you received on the Cité Créative project??
160. We will leave the form online until the end of February.