Treehouse hotel plan taking root (Montreal Gazette)

From The Montreal Gazette:


By David Johnston , The GazettePublished: Sunday, June 10, 2007

Natalie Laberge of Ste. Martine, Quebec is pursuing a plan for treehouse rental accommodation on the north face of scenic Covey Hill, two kilometres from the border, in the upper St. Lawrence Valley.

Laberge, a native of Ste. Martine, near Chteauguay, is co-founder of Arbraska Rigaud, a forest-
recreation complex that won a provincial tourism prize last year.

After discussion with legal counsel, she has decided to file an appeal with the Quebec Administrative Tribunal, asking it to overturn a decision last January by the Commission de protection du territoire agricole du Qubec.

As a result of that decision, the commission refused Laberge's application for a rezoning of a tract of agricultural land that she had wanted to purchase in order to build her treehouses, in partnership with architects and construction engineers.

The land is currently being used to grow apples and blueberries. There is also an adjacent maple-syrup operation.

Laberge said treehouse guests would have the option of various spa treatments as well as U-pick blueberry and apple outings and many scenic bicycling opportunities in the region.
France, Germany, Thailand. India and Hawaii have the world's most developed treehouse hotel-suite networks. High-end treehouse construction has become very popular in recent years on the west coast of North America.

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