New semi-detached home near Montreal
On the South Shore, in Sainte-Julie, some thirty kilometres from Place Ville Marie
A new address without cutting ties with Montreal: BÉAcité is taking shape in Sainte-Julie's Vilamo neighbourhood, about 32 km from Place Ville Marie, or roughly 34 minutes by car when traffic is light. Maisons Pépin is building 50 single-family semi-detached homes there, handed over turnkey with their landscaping and an all-inclusive maintenance program.
From Place Ville Marie, over the Jacques Cartier Bridge
Garage, basement and private garden
All-inclusive program
Five pointers before you leave the island
ABOUT 34 MINUTES
From Place Ville Marie, without traffic: the Jacques Cartier Bridge, Route 132, then Highway 20 to exit 105.
21 TO 28 MINUTES FROM THE EAST END
From Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, through the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine bridge-tunnel, under repair until 2027.
NO DIRECT BUS
On weekdays, exo's express 520 leaves from Radisson metro; a taxibus on reservation handles the final leg.
UP TO 2,356 SQ FT OF LIVING SPACE
In the Duo cottage with the optional mezzanine; 2,018 sq ft without it.
BUILDER OF THE YEAR
One of five Domus trophies the APCHQ has awarded to Maisons Pépin, holder of RBQ licence 8297-6796-29.
FROM THE TABLE TO THE UPPER FLOOR
Slide the cursor between two photos of 408 Geoffrion Street, one of the turnkey homes: on one side, the dining room under a high ceiling and its wood-island kitchen; on the other, the light-wood staircase leading upstairs.
Cross the river to see the homes in person
The sales office is at 435 Geoffrion Street. You're welcome there Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; evening and weekend visits are by appointment. On Saturdays and Sundays, no bus goes as far as Geoffrion Street, so plan on driving.
Three models, one list of inclusions
SEMI-DETACHED BUNGALOW
Everything happens on a 1,006 sq ft ground floor set over a basement of the same size; the garage adds 294 sq ft.
DUO COTTAGE
An 858 sq ft ground floor and a 1,160 sq ft upper floor, for 2,018 sq ft of living space; a 338 sq ft mezzanine can be added.
URBAIN MODEL
1,622 sq ft of living space on two levels of 652 and 970 sq ft, with a 652 sq ft basement and a 260 sq ft garage.
STANDARD
Quartz on the kitchen counter, 9-foot ceilings on the ground floor, central air, gas heating and a charging outlet in the garage.
A new semi-detached home near Montreal, across the river
Looking for a new semi-detached home near Montreal usually starts with a realization: on the island, houses are the exception. At the 2021 Census, they made up 13.5% of dwellings in the City of Montreal (7.1% detached, 3.2% semi-detached and as many row houses), and 63.6% of households rented their home. In Sainte-Julie, houses account for 73.6% of the housing stock.
BÉAcité occupies a corner of that landscape, on Geoffrion and Bissonnette streets, between Avenue des Bâtisseurs and Rue des Pionniers. Each of its 50 semi-detached homes has its own garage, basement and private garden, and several lots have no neighbour behind. The project isn't in Montreal, but Montreal stays close: about thirty kilometres to downtown, even less to the east end of the island.
There are two ways to get your keys. If you want to move in right away, look at the four homes already finished. If you'd rather choose your own finishes, several customizable homes can be ready in about four months, and some twenty more are still open to customization.
Plan your visit from Montreal
Information and visit request
Why look across the bridge
Montreal and Sainte-Julie belong to the same census metropolitan area and the same metropolitan community; the ARTM simply places the island in fare zone A and Sainte-Julie in zone C. Choosing a new semi-detached home near Montreal, on the Sainte-Julie side, mostly changes the scale of daily life. Here is what shifts, in both directions.
More rooms
The census counts an average of 4.5 rooms per dwelling in Montreal, compared with 7.1 in Sainte-Julie. In the Duo cottage, the ground floor measures 858 sq ft and the upper floor 1,160 sq ft, with an 858 sq ft basement and a 292 sq ft garage on top of that.
Outdoor space of your own
A garden-level backyard, a private garden, room to add a pool and a spa, an optional rooftop terrace: the outdoors is finished on delivery, then looked after under the all-inclusive program.
A neighbourhood built around greenery
Vilamo devotes 600,000 sq ft to green space, more than 15% of its area, and BÉAcité's site plan includes two parks and a retention pond. The Club de golf de la Vallée du Richelieu borders the area.
What takes some adjusting
In 2021, 28.4% of Montreal commuters took public transit; in Sainte-Julie, 90.2% travelled by car. Local buses there are free, but life without a car remains difficult. And until the work wraps up, scheduled for 2027, the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine bridge-tunnel runs with lanes closed at each stage of the project.
Leaving the island: a documented trend
In 2024-2025, according to the Institut de la statistique du Québec, the Montreal agglomeration saw 50,900 people leave for other regions of Quebec and welcomed 27,200. Its largest deficit, about 8,300 people, was with Montérégie. The island's population keeps growing all the same, thanks to immigration and natural increase. What the move actually changes:
Go further: leaving Montreal for Sainte-Julie
Bridge, tunnel or bus: the way to Vilamo
From downtown, the Jacques Cartier Bridge is the shortest route; from the east end, it's the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine bridge-tunnel, under major repair until 2027, with lane closures that change as the work moves through its phases. By public transit, no line connects the two cities directly: routes 520, 350 or 600 reach Terminus Sainte-Julie on weekdays, followed by a taxibus on reservation. The routes in detail:
Go further: from Montreal to Sainte-Julie
More bedrooms, and a backyard
In Montreal, 7.9% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms, compared with 33.7% in Sainte-Julie, and 8.6% of households live in housing that's too small under the national occupancy standard (2021 Census). For a growing family, here is what BÉAcité's semi-detached homes offer, from the backyard to the basement:
Go further: house with a backyard near Montreal
A room for working from home
In May 2021, in the middle of the pandemic, 30.3% of workers in the City of Montreal did their job from home. The practice has eased since, but it persists: in May 2025, about one worker in five across the metropolitan area worked mainly from home, according to Statistics Canada. An open office, a mezzanine, a basement: the possibilities.
Go further: house with a home office near Montreal
Owning a home, without the chores
Nearly two Montreal households in three are tenants (63.6%), and 21.9% of the City's dwellings are condominiums. Moving to a house often raises fears about the upkeep that comes with it. At BÉAcité, landscaping is delivered complete, and the upkeep is then handled entirely:
Go further: maintenance-free home near Montreal
New semi-detached home near Montreal: the questions people ask
Is BÉAcité in Montreal?
No. The project is in Sainte-Julie, on the South Shore, near exit 105 of Highway 20. From Place Ville Marie, the fastest route is 31.9 km over the Jacques Cartier Bridge, or about 34 minutes without traffic; from the east end of the island, through the bridge-tunnel, allow about 21 minutes from Radisson metro and 28 from Marché Maisonneuve.
Does the work on the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine bridge-tunnel lengthen the trip?
It can, especially at rush hour. According to Quebec's ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable, the major rehabilitation of the bridge-tunnel, which began on October 31, 2022, is due to finish in 2027; until then, the number of open lanes changes from one phase to the next, and occasional overnight closures are added. The ministry's closures page on quebec.ca tells you where things stand on the day of your visit. The Jacques Cartier Bridge remains another option.
Can I get there by public transit?
On weekdays, yes, with transfers: no bus runs directly between Montreal and Sainte-Julie. Exo's express 520 leaves from Radisson metro, route 350 from Longueuil metro and route 600 from Terminus Brossard, served by the REM; all of them stop at Terminus Sainte-Julie, where the T34 taxibus, on reservation, takes you to within 91 m of Geoffrion Street. On weekends, nothing serves Geoffrion Street.
How do prices compare with Montreal?
BÉAcité doesn't publish its prices: the sales director will give them to you. As a benchmark, Centris reports that over the last four quarters, the median resale price of single-family houses in Sainte-Julie ($666,350) was higher than in Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Anjou and Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles. Those medians cover existing houses, not new semi-detached homes.
Can I move in soon?
Four turnkey homes, at 405, 408, 423 and 435 Geoffrion Street, are for sale right now. Several customizable homes can be ready in about four months, and some twenty more, cottages or bungalows, are still waiting for your choices.
Is BÉAcité in Montreal?
No. The project is in Sainte-Julie, on the South Shore, near exit 105 of Highway 20. From Place Ville Marie, the fastest route is 31.9 km over the Jacques Cartier Bridge, or about 34 minutes without traffic; from the east end of the island, through the bridge-tunnel, allow about 21 minutes from Radisson metro and 28 from Marché Maisonneuve.
Four finished homes, seen in a single outing
Since you're making the drive once, use it to compare. 405 Geoffrion Street combines a mezzanine, three bedrooms and a rooftop terrace. The photos of 408 Geoffrion Street show an entrance hall with a black-spindled staircase, a closed office behind a glass door and a bathroom with a glass shower. At 423 Geoffrion Street, you'll find a three-bedroom Duo home with a custom wine cellar, an open office and a finished basement. Finally, the photos of 435 Geoffrion Street reveal a residential elevator and a workroom flooded with light. The sales director can open them for you one after another.
Maisons Pépin, behind every home
BÉAcité's 50 semi-detached homes are built by Maisons Pépin inc., backed by 30 years of experience and more than 2,000 housing units. On site, Serge Brochu methodically coordinates the trades; Janick Brochu, project director and designer, follows each home from idea to completion. Meet the whole team. The APCHQ has awarded the company five Domus trophies, including Builder of the Year: see the list of its distinctions.
Plans first, then the visit
Before crossing the bridge, take time to study the plans for each model. With its basement and garage, the bungalow totals 2,306 sq ft; the Duo cottage reaches 3,168 sq ft, or 3,506 sq ft with the mezzanine; the Urbain model, 2,534 sq ft. Note the rooms that matter to you: on site, you can judge their proportions for yourself.
Your new semi-detached home near Montreal, to tour in person
A new semi-detached home near Montreal, with a garage, a private garden and upkeep taken care of, about 34 minutes from downtown when the roads are clear: that's what BÉAcité offers. To arrange a visit, call or text Eddy Guessous at 514-812-9633, or write to ventes@beacite.com.