The east side of Lyon, Isère north, a strategic location

Saint-Bonnet-de-Mure, Saint-Laurent-de-Mure, Décines and Meyzieu are all alternatives to “arrondissements” in the eastern part of Lyon : their properties are relatively affordable and the quality of life undeniable. Further out, Les Vallons de la Tour do not content themselves with their status as a fall-back market, preferring that of a reserve of lovely “Dauphinoises”, a highly-prized commodity.

15 km east of Lyon, Saint-Bonnet-de-Mure with its 6,500 inhabitants offers a pleasant setting at the gateway to the Prefecture. The constantly rising population, especially in the 20-40 year-old bracket, testifies to the town’s liveliness, clearly suiting the taste of young working couples. Their lives are made easy by a crèche, two junior schools, two retirement homes, a sports centre, a leisure zone for teenagers and public parks, while the neighbouring Saint-Laurent-de-Mure plays host to an intercommunal site accommodating the intermediate school, an “Espace Jeunes”, child-minders’ centre, swimming pool and library. Controlling growth while preserving and enhancing the environment... An area in which Décines, with over 25,000 residents, excels. The town is crossed by the Canal de Jonage and Grand Large lake, which should benefit from new amenities under the “Anneau Bleu” project. The cultural centre “Le Toboggan” brings in people from Greater Lyon, while the centre of Décines is being restructured and the western and eastern entrances could soon accommodate a healthcare centre and a large stadium devoted to the Olympique Lyonnais football team. In the same area, Meyzieu owes its growth to the proliferation of suburban housing. Its 29,380 residents are employed in the industrial zone occupying about 518 acres or, more often, in Lyon, reached by tram. Set up in 2000, the “community of communes” known as Les Vallons de la Tour is composed of 10 localities, ie. 24,000 people spread over an area of 24,144 acres. Enjoying a strategic position between “départements” 69 and 38, at the junction of the A43, the Nationale 6, the rail network and future infrastructures for the TGV and freight, it is less than 45 minutes from Lyon, Chambéry and Grenoble, and only 20 minutes from the Saint-Exupéry airport.

“Saint-Bonnet-de Mure and Saint-Laurent-de-Mure offer the advantages of being close to a large French metropolis without suffering the drawbacks. Residents appreciate the village atmosphere, especially as they don’t have to sacrifice any facilities,” argues Pascal Bayle of Guy Hoquet Saint-Bonnet-de-Mure. The site is similar to that of Décines, except that it does not belong to the Urban Community of Lyon. Strangely enough, Pascal Bayle does not see any “see-saw” effect between the two addresses. Saint-Priest attracts first-time buyers, capable of paying 140,000-170,000 € for 2-bedroom apartments, with a garage, terrace or garden for those at the top end of the range. Saint-Bonnet and Saint-Laurent are of more interest to those looking for houses, working on the east side of Lyon or in Villeurbanne. The starting-price for a standard home with 3 bedrooms and a garden of 400 m2 ranges from 250,000 to 280,000 € : a house of 110 m2 in grounds of 800 m2 costs around 300,000 €. A house less than ten years old on an estate, benefitting from a pool and quality appointments, can reach 420,000-450,000 €. The crisis has led to the virtual disappearance of buyers acting on a whim. Today, only a real need or a change of circumstances makes people search for a new home. A simple desire to move house or impulse-buying is no longer sufficient.

“Décines, Meyzieu and Jonage offer open spaces dedicated to walking and mountain biking, and lakes that are ideal for swimming and watersports, all within easy reach of Lyon,” says Pierrette Baconnet of Guy Hoquet Décines. Those who prefer apartments would be well-advised to choose the first, as the second is characterized more by individual homes. Even so, recent constructions have tended to balance out the distribution. Pierette Baconnet, who opened her agency in the year 2000, recalls the enthusiasm of the locals, co-existing, since the introduction of the tram, with workers from Lyon and Villeurbanne, fond of the airy scenery and the quality of life, further improved since the opening of the Carré de Soie shopping and cinema complex. The locality also benefits from good public transport. Young couples start out with a 1/2-bedroom apartment at 150,000 € before setting their sights on a semi-detached house costing 230,000 € or a detached home with contemporary appointments priced at 300,000 €. Some enviable examples along the Grand Large exceed 500,000 €, though they are not widely targetted. Since 2007, investors have their eye on these areas which are launching attractive developments with small units pegged at around 3,000 €/m2 to buy and 12 €/m2 to rent.

“Les Vallons de la Tour have at least three different vocations,” says Véronique Rauffer of Noblimo La Tour du Pin, responsible for developing this national and European franchise. First, they provide a fall-back market for tho-se who cannot afford the first or second ring around Lyon, and even a few working in Chambéry who are willing to pay daily motorway tolls. This clientele, representing 30 % of the total, will usually pay 170,000-180,000 € for a standard house. Among the locals, accounting for 50 % of purchasers, our estate-agent mentions young clients with essentially the same financial capabilities, those already living here, now prepared to pay 200,000 €, and finally those looking for rental investments. Some craftsmen, ready to invest 70,000-80,000 € in building rights, keep an eye out for good deals, land that can be split into lots. Finally, the lovely “Dauphinoise”, a tall, imposing building which comes with several outbuildings, attracts 20 % of ocassional residents, often from Paris or Lyon, fond of rural areas and old stones. This type of property costs from 250,000 to 350,000 €, with rare peaks at 450,000 €. Those who can work from home stay put for up to several weeks a year. The rankings of the various communes - Cessieu, Dolomieu Faverges-de-la-Tour, La Chapelle-de-la-Tour, La-Tour-du-Pin, Le Passage, Rochetoirin, Saint-Clair-de-la-Tour, Saint-Didier-de-la-Tour and Saint-Jean-de-Soudain - naturally depend on their level of facilities and the distance separating them from the motor-way. While the property markets in Lyon, Chambéry and Aix-les-Bains seem to be back on the tracks, it will take a few more weeks and a final downward adjustment before today’s hesitant falterings observed at La Tour-du-Pin can be seen as a real recovery. Insofar as attractive prices are the main argument, together with a rural landscape, this market needs to distinguish itself clearly from prices practised in the belt around Lyon.