bucketsofrain

RENWICK PLACES THE CANADA MALTING FACILITY UNDER OPTION! Ashlee Wismach, October 2015 The Canada Malting Facility has dominated the Saint-Henri skyline since its original construction in 1904. Sadly, having become derelict after being abandoned in 1989, the site has not benefited from any of the development energy proliferating the area, primarily due to its complexity and protected historic value. With experience in the restoration and rehabilitation of historic sites, specifically with respect to their transformation into viable residential developments, Renwick began analyzing Canada Malting in March. With the completion of a lengthy review of the site, its components, the history of the facility and of the neighborhood, A preliminary development plan was established and purchase negotiations began. These negotiations were successfully concluded in October. While still being finalized, the approach will see for the partial restoration of the original facility, the preservation of its historic value and the redevelopment of the site for the creation of a mixed use residential project. http://www.renwickdev.com/#!project-page---canada-malting/c1vsz

This is for the land currently owned by Provigo on the corner of de Maisonneuve and Claremont on the south east corner. There was a public consultation for residents and the following is the project: 30k square feet for grocery store (Provigo Urban concept) 10 apartments for families of kids who are staying at hospital Office space for Children's foundation 255 senior apartments for 55+ from le Groupe Maurice Not a very nice looking building! 10 story building Construction summer/fall 2015 Opening 2017-2018

liberté d'expression?

Rien ne va plus au chantier d’une luxueuse tour de condos de 25 étages, au centre-ville de Montréal. Un prêteur menace de saisir le chantier et des acheteurs veulent poursuivre le promoteur du Victoire pour récupérer leur dépôt, a appris notre Bureau d’enquête. Le gratte-ciel devait accueillir ses premiers occupants dès décembre, mais rien n’est encore sorti de terre. Maurice Benisti, de Point Zéro Capital, a enregistré en septembre un recours de 4,3 M$ pour récupérer le prêt qu’il a fait au promoteur. La Banque Nationale devait financer la construction pour près de 32 M$, mais elle n’a toujours pas débloqué les fonds. Selon nos sources, l’institution financière n’arrive pas à confirmer la solidité financière de clients ayant réservé des unités. La Banque refuse de commenter, mais assure qu’elle a toujours l’intention de financer le projet. Des clients veulent leur argent Selon l’entente initiale, les acheteurs devaient prendre possession de leurs unités dès décembre. Mais le promoteur n’a même pas terminé les fondations de la tour. Officiellement, la fin de la construction est retardée jusqu’en décembre 2015. Découragé par les délais, un couple d’acheteurs a voulu récupérer les quelque 140 000 $ qu’il a remis en fidéicommis au notai*re du projet. Il a eu une mauvaise surprise: l’officier public leur a répondu le 1er octobre qu’il avait remis tous les fonds au promoteur. «Moi, je comprenais que l’argent restait en fidéicommis jusqu’à la livraison des unités!», dit le client, qui préfère ne pas être identifié. Erreur! Le contrat de prévente prévoyait bien la remise des sommes au promoteur au début des travaux. 4,7 M$ de dépôts encaissés Selon nos informations, la compagnie à numéro qui dirige le projet a ainsi encaissé pour au moins 4,7 M$ en dépôts d’acheteurs. En cas de retard considérable, les clients mécontents peuvent toutefois réclamer l’annulation du contrat et le remboursement de ces sommes. Leur avocat, Clément Lucas, a d’ailleurs envoyé une mise en demeure au promoteur en septembre. Elle reste cependant sans réponse à ce jour. http://m.journaldequebec.com/2014/10/11/une-tour-de-25-etages-en-peril

remax i believe

@MALED1ZIONE -- The Dominion Textile building on St.Ambroise?

Here are the images (excuse the poor quality)

Seriously? No one at The Gazette cares about the Montréal community? How could I even read this post after a statement like this... Jeez!

This project has been cancelled. http://www.thesuburban.com/article.php?id=1611&title=Hampstead-Le-Belvedere-Condo-Project-Cancelled Hampstead Le Belvedere condo project cancelled By Joel Goldenberg, June 12th, 2013 The Le Belvedere high-rise condominium project, which was to be built on the land of the former Hampstead fire station, has been cancelled, Mayor William Steinberg said at Monday’s town council meeting. Steinberg made the statement in response to Dr. Stanley Blum, who said he bought a condo at the planned building immediately and sold his house immediately as well. “I’m homeless,” Dr. Blum said, later adding he is living in a temporary residence. “It’s very sad. They took a diamond and turned it into a zircon.” Steinberg said he would not comment on the particulars of the marketing of the condo project. He explained that on the first weekend units went on sale, about 30 percent was sold — penthouses and the top floors. “After that, things slowed down considerably,” the mayor added. “They had promised investors they would make an absolute decision by June 1 of this year, whether they would go forward or not. The decision was not to go forward. I was notified of that, that afternoon. They started calling everybody.” Steinberg said that for the next step, “everything is possible. “They could come back to us with another proposal, maybe different in some ways — council would have to look at it. They could get other partners to join them. They could sell the land, and someone else could come up with the same or different proposal. At this point, based on two weeks ago, they had no clue what they were going to do, they had just made that decision to pull the plug. I have no inside information, and I doubt there will be any information for at least a few months.” But Steinberg added that the town is protected financially. Hampstead sold the land to Groupe Benvenuto-Québec. Inc. for $5.5 million, and clauses say that in case a project does not proceed as planned by March 31, 2014, “the town gets another $1 million, which is a pretty steep penalty. “We have it in our law, it’s not revocable,” the mayor added. “There are additional penalty clauses that kick in at later points. Potentially, the town could end up with an extra $2.5 million. If the land is sold [to another developer], those penalties and conditions move to the new buyer. “Within the next five years, I am very confident that something will go on that property. We also get tax revenue on that land. To steal a phrase Councillor Leon Elfassy gave me, this is simply a bump on the road. The land is far too valuable for it to sit vacant. Something will happen, and council will deal with whatever is proposed when the time comes.” Steinberg also said “we knew [the developers] were financially very solvent, and they did — I understand — return all the money investors put in, plus interest.” Groupe Benvenuto president Mitchell Abrahams, contacted by The Suburban Tuesday, confirmed that purchasers were fully refunded, plus interest. He also said there are no immediate plans for the next step for the site. “We’re all upset we were unable to meet the sales threshold in the time we had to confirm that the project was moving forward,” Abrahams said. “But we’re going to take a look at timing, what our options are. It’s a fantastic site and we’ll come back with something exciting for the site when the timing is right. This is part of the challenge of trying to put a big building together in a luxury setting.... It’s a very special and unique building in a great neighbourhood, but it was designed together with Hampstead. It’s quite a big building, and to put 100 luxury buyers together in a short period of time was challenging, and we were unable to get to the threshold we needed to go forward at this time.”n

Details on first page here: http://www.westmountindependent.com/WIv7.6a.pdf Essentially: Demolish building, build condos Developer: EMD Construction 2 story underground parking 57 unites, six stories

I agree, this is way better than condos. A logical and effective use. Here's the Gazette article: MONTREAL — McGill University is mulling a big move — seeking to dramatically expand the footprint of its downtown campus by taking in some or all of the Royal Victoria Hospital complex. And relatives of the railway barons who bequeathed the land in the 19th century have signalled they won’t stand in the way — provided McGill uses the land for medical research or a similar purpose, in keeping with the original deed. The sprawling hospital is to be emptied once the new Montreal University Health Centre superhospital in the city’s west end is fully functioning. “We are looking seriously” at mounting a bid to take over the Vic’s majestic structures — and the land on which they stand, dominating the southern flank of Mount Royal — to give them a teaching and research vocation, Olivier Marcil, vice-principal for communications and external relations, said in a Thursday morning interview. This would resolve the university’s substantial and growing space deficit, Marcil added. It also represents, he added, “an opportunity to consolidate the future of McGill University.” Adding the Royal Vic site to the existing downtown campus with a specific health sciences vocation is “what we have in mind for the moment,” Marcil said. “It would make sense,” although details — notably financing and the business case — have not been ironed out. Some of the structures date back to the 1890s. They would have to be renovated while respecting their architectural character. The Vic is expected to be completely vacated once its move to the new Glen Yards site for the MUHC is carried out, sometime in 2015. “One million square feet is going to be empty right across from McGill University; we are directly south and east as well,” Marcil noted. The original bequest for the land was for its use as a hospital. “There’s a logic to it — it’s a natural fit for us to maybe one day have the capacity to occupy ... in part or in totality the site of the Royal Victoria,” Marcil said. “We feel that we can come up with a project that will be very interesting for Montreal’s population, and that they will accept this,” he added, and that McGill would at the same time “preserve the institutional vocation of the site.” “Financing is the issue,” Marcil said. “These are very old buildings. “There’s a lot of work to do for renovations. Transforming a hospital into classrooms, research spaces and other university activities is going to be an important investment, no doubt about that.” Elspeth Angus, a great grand-niece of George (Lord Mount) Stephen, said she received a call about two weeks ago from a McGill vice-principal who mentioned the university’s interest in acquiring the property, but that’s as much as she knows. “They said they would get back to us, but that’s like saying I will write pie in the sky.” Angus said her cousins, as well as descendants of Lord Strathcona, realize the Royal Vic “is not going to be a hospital again” and agree that having McGill take over the part of the Royal Victoria for medical research would be the best solution. “The original deed said it was for hospital use, but with changing times, something involving medical teaching or research would be fine. As long as it’s medical research, and not how to make an atom bomb,” said Angus, whose big worry had been that the land might be sold for condo development. But she concedes the family has no say in what happens to other portions of the sprawling site, which were acquired. Marcil said it is far too early to estimate the cost of renovating the original hospital property or “any other project for the Royal Victoria.” But he agreed such a campus expansion would almost certainly require well in excess of $200 million. The downtown campus is “landlocked — our space for growth is very little,” he said. “When we have this opportunity that presents itself, we have to consider this.” Les Amis de la Montagne is holding a forum Friday on the future of the mountain. janr@montrealgazette.com Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/McGill+University+mulls+campus+expansion+onto+Royal+site/8487357/story.html#ixzz2VSAKgMV2

This real estate boom in Montreal didn't just happen overnight. It was in the planning over the last 10 years, while the Liberal government was in place.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Language+debates+holding+corporate+plans+developer+says/8451858/story.html MONTREAL — Major corporations are putting expansion, relocations and long-term commitments on hold, because of the “unstable business environment” caused by the Parti Québécois hotly debated Bill 14, Jonathan Wener said Wednesday. “The market has definitely gotten softer and a lot of people are putting major decisions on hold. It’s basically a wait-and-see attitude,” the head of Canderel Group of Companies, a national real estate development and management company, said. Wener is the chairman and CEO of Montreal-based Canderel, which manages 9 million square feet of commercial space and has an additional 2 million square feet of residential development under construction nationally. “I think it is extremely unfortunate that we live in a society that has reduced itself to thinking it needs language police to preserve its culture — point final,” Wener told The Gazette, in a reference to the Office québécois de la langue française. “I’ve travelled a good chunk of the world and when I talk about the fact that we have language police in Quebec they laugh at me.” His comments come as the PQ is expected to put the bill to a second reading vote Thursday morning, despite widespread opposition from different groups and a Liberal filibuster. “It’s reawakened old memories which are just unfortunate because I really felt the most important thing to do was to get on with governing and improving the state of our economy, which needs a lot of work,” he said. A seventh-generation Montrealer, whose family first arrived in the 1860s, Wener is being honoured Thursday night for his support of the non-profit Segal Centre, North America’s second-largest bilingual multidisciplinary performing arts centre. The Segal Centre has a cultural — and not political — vocation. Despite Canderel’s offices in Canadian cities like Toronto, where it is building Aura, the country’s tallest residential skyscraper, the 38-year-old company still has its headquarters on Peel St. in downtown Montreal. While Wener’s personal views supporting English rights are well known, Canderel has worked on business ventures with partners of all political affiliations, including the Fonds immobilier de solidarité, which is controlled by the sovereignist-leaning Quebec Federation of Labour. Canderel and the Fonds are still looking for tenants to launch a two-tower office complex with 1.2 million square feet at the corner of Ste. Catherine and Bleury St. in Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles. Wener said political uncertainty generated by proposals like Bill 14, may have softened, but not “depressed” a Greater Montreal real estate market. Until recently, the industry was breaking records for prices and new condo construction, at a time when former industrial areas like Griffintown and former downtown parking lots transformed with new developments. Indeed, the Bell Centre-adjacent Tour des Canadiens housing project that Canderel is developing with Cadillac Fairview Corp. Ltd. and other partners actually added two floors in January, after the original 48 storeys sold out at a pace that surprised Wener himself. “What I was surprised about is that we could do it as quickly as we did in Montreal. We had allowed for a year, we had allowed for millions of dollars in advertising that we never spent,” Wener said. “We were finished in virtually six to eight weeks.” alampert@montrealgazette.com Twitter: RealDealMtl

The old building is really nice. Good on them for not knocking it down! @memphis22 Beautiful pictures! Merci!

Update from their facebook page: Here is a complete update about Univers condominium project: In the autumn of 2012, DevMcGill held a priority unveiling of the project Univers. At the time, we did not expect that there would be so much interest, especially taking into account the number of condo projects available downtown. We were surprised by the large number of people who came to see the initial plans for Univers and we reached our sales quota for VIP Certificates much faster than we expected. This certificate gives the holder purchasing priority during the future launch of sales. When meeting with the future owners of Univers, we found that, regardless of the number of competing condominium complexes available, there is a strong demand for a community located on the borders of downtown and Old Montreal, connected to Montreal’s Underground City (RÉSO), the largest network of indoor gallerias in the world, leading to Square-Victoria Metro and more than 2000 stores, services and businesses downtown through an underground network. In Montreal, the number of condominium complexes connected to the Underground City is very small. It has been suggested that only the Tour des Canadiens will be connected to the RÉSO, but this is not the case. It has been several years now that the Cours Mont-Royal condominiums have had a connection to the Underground City and, more recently, the Louis-Bohème. Soon it will be the turn of the Altoria then Univers. Four projects is very few on the scale of Montreal developments, and there is little inventory left available in the Tour des Canadiens and Altoria. Univers therefore offers an interesting competitive advantage. When we met with potential owners of Univers, we discovered that the vast majority is composed of people that want to actually live in the project and not purchase a unit to rent it out. Future owners of Univers have told us that the location is ideal for permanent residents because it combines the tranquil and picturesque charm of the historic district of Old Montreal while also enjoying a direct connection to downtown. We found that there is a real demand for a well located condominium project that isn’t directly in the middle of the crowds and traffic jams. Due to the high demand for a large scale development such as Univers, we decided to enter into negotiations with the owners of the land in order to be able to acquire the entire residential portion of the site and not only part of it as originally planned. This will allow DevMcGill to have complete control over all the planning and details of the development, allowing us to offer condo owners the best possible overall plan (common areas, commercial spaces, inner courtyard, architecture, underground link to RÉSO, views, etc.). This rather long process is delaying the launch of sales of Univers, but it will be for the better. Since the VIP Certificate sales event in autumn 2012, we have kept our VIPs informed. An update was emailed to all the VIPs on November 16th, 2012 and another on the 8th and 9th of February 2013 in order to inform them about delays and to provide the necessary explanations. A letter was also mailed via the traditional postal system to the VIPs in February 2013 because not everyone regularly receives the emails due to spam filters that block automatic emails with images and hyperlinks Given the unexpected delays regarding the launch of the project, we have established a special policy for Univers VIPs, allowing them to keep all their privileges for the future sale without having to maintain the usual deposit in trust with the notary. Because we know that some Univers VIPs wished to acquire a condominium sooner, we invited them to become VIPs of the 30 St-Jacques project located on a very coveted piece of land, adjacent to the magnificent Place d’Armes, in Old Montreal, one block away from the Place d’Armes Metro station connected to the Underground City. 30 St-Jacques is a confirmed project that represents a very interesting alternative for Univers clients that are hoping to move into their condominium sooner. It was in mid-December 2012 that we had the pleasure to find out that we won a public municipal competition, along with our associates Groupe Antonopoulos and CHBA architects, to be able to acquire this exceptional site. You can find details about the site at http://www.devmcgill.com. Some of you may have noticed that last Friday we removed the Univers project from our website. This was done following several requests from our sales representatives at the DevMcGill Boutique because they wanted to avoid an influx of numerous people for no reason, seeing as the quota of Univers VIPs had been reached several months ago already. We will reintroduce a comprehensive website for Univers at the launch of sales in 2014. In the meantime, the Univers Facebook page will be updated with the latest information. You simply need to ‘like’ the page to be kept informed. In closing, we would like to thank our Facebook Followers. It is always a pleasure to see how you are all closely following the projects in development in Montreal. https://www.facebook.com/Univers.condos/posts/351361454964827