A major shopping center owner is seeking Montreal approval to build condo towers up to 35 storeys along the Décarie Expressway, a scenario that could change the face of the sector.
Posted at 8:00 am
The project concerns a commercial complex adjacent to the former Blue Bonnets Racecourse, which has long been promised real estate redevelopment.
SmartCentres REIT “seeks to increase the permitted density for the construction of condominium, rental condominium and mixed-use buildings to 35 stories,” said a statement to the Registry of Lobbyists on behalf of the company. “The current density of the site varies between one and two stories. »
Currently managed by SmartCentres REIT, the shopping center houses twenty brands, including a large Walmart store. The land is located on both sides of rue Jean-Talon Oust, south of the Decarie highway. It is served by Manur Metro Station.
Best of all, it’s in the immediate neighborhood of the former Blue Bonnets Racetrack, a vacant lot where the city hopes to build 12,500 affordable housing units in the coming years.
“very basic”
In an interview with PressA spokesperson for SmartCentres REIT said that despite the mandate on the lobbyist registry, the company is still in the vetting phase. “We are discussing with the City on the vision, said Herbert Nunes. It is very, very, very basic in terms of what we are seeing with the City. »
Mr Nunes argued that the 35-storey figure was not set in stone. “Nobody knows how many floors it will end up in,” he said.
No formal request or application has been made from our side. We are in the process of working on the city’s requests and needs.
Herbert Nunes, SmartCentres REIT spokesperson
In the office of Mayor Valerie Plante, we welcome these steps without commenting on the merits of the case.
“We’re already seeing the benefit [promoteurs] For the Namur-Hippodrome Eco-Neighborhood project and its surroundings, the administration is determined to create a carbon-neutral living environment based on sustainable mobility, social diversity, green spaces and the presence of shops,” wrote Mariquim Gaudreault, Communications Valérie Plante Manager.
She added: “Any duly registered lobbyist is entitled to make representations according to his mandate, but remember that any project submitted will follow a normal regulatory process and will be analyzed according to the framework in place. »
Restore the centers commercial
It is Stantech, a major Canadian engineering firm, which acts as a lobbyist for Smart Centers REIT with municipal officials. Several Stantec employees registered in the registry with the same mandate to legally communicate with the City on the project.
The redevelopment of the shopping center site at the intersection of Autoroute Décarie and rue Jean-Talon Ouest is part of a broader vision for the project SmartCentres: adapting to the boom in e-commerce since the start of the pandemic. Shortage of housing creates favorable opportunities for housing conversion projects.
“We look at all our sites from the same perspective: how to reinvent them? said Mr. Nunes.
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