Chris1989

http://montreal.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20120601/mtl_saputo_stadium_120601/20120601?hub=Montreal

There's a video report on the CTV site. Check it out!

MONTREAL — Montreal's field of dreams has long been a downtown baseball stadium, but a new-and-improved soccer stadium in the east end might be the next best thing.

 

The Montreal Impact brass proudly offered a tour of the renovated Saputo Stadium Friday.

 

The government provided $23-million for the facelift, which expands capacity to 20,341. Team President Joey Saputo crowed that the job was done on budget.

 

"The final costs are not in yet but it's important to understand we did not go back to the government for more money," said Impact President Joey Saputo.

 

Saputo, whose family is one of Canada's richest thanks to its success in the cheese business, says coziness will be a factor.

 

"The ambience is going to be incredible. The sound is going to bounce off the roof and bounce back in so you won't lose the roar of the crowd. Also you will notice there is not a bad seat in the house. The sight lines are fantastic. You're very close to the field," said Saputo.

 

All 34 luxury boxes, up from the previous 16, have been sold. And tickets might also end up getting all gobbled up if people aren't quick at the gate.

 

The team might return to the adjacent Olympic Stadium for playoff games or other big events with a great demand for tickets.

 

Meanwhile, earlier Friday a rumour had emerged that the team had been itching to sign yet another aging Italian soccer star, this time in the form of Alessandro Del Piero, 37, of Juventus.

 

Saputo denied the possibility of inking Del Piero when grilled by journalists Friday.

 

Another rumour reported by the Canadian Press suggested that the Impact might be finished with Bernardo Corradi, another Italian forward.

 

Corradi's four-month contract has finished but Saputo said the team would like to sign another deal with the striker.

 

With a file from The Canadian Press

Excellent news!

The future phases are south of the Bell Centre

Altitude is more upscale I think. The ceilings are much higher, about 3.7 metres on average.

GDS, are you guessing or you have information? It really doesn't look taller than 120 metres...

I'm all for keeping it and reviving it. The "tear it down" stuff has to stop.

This is deeply upsetting, especially as a Cinema student. As someone who has been many times, the CinéRobothèque is truly something very special.

I was at Place des Arts yesterday and you can just barely see Altitude rising in front of Place Ville Marie. The impact of Altitude from the Quartier des Spectacles is going to be really something special.

The impact of the Marriott will also be something else, from that spot.

I was on the Champlain Bridge today and you can see the crane for Altitude and the tower slightly rising. It's actually amazing how many cranes are viewable from the bridge... it's something I've never experienced in my lifetime!

We beat the record, 58,900+

I didn't know where to put this. It talks about a few projects and what status they're at:

http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Montreal+skyline+facing+changes/6310073/story.html

MONTREAL - Canderel’s Phillips Square site, long promoted as the future location of a gleaming 900,000 square foot LEED certified office tower is up for sale, The Gazette has learned.

 

Eager to capitalize on growing demand for buildable land downtown, a Canderel executive said the company wants to sell because it’s already busy with an office project in the Quartier des spectacles, along with plans for a new, soon-to-be-announced residential development.

 

“Having three (projects) in the same city at the same time was a little too much,” said Daniel Peritz, Canderel’s senior vice-president, Montreal and Ottawa.

 

The 80,000-square-foot site is hitting the market at a time when vacancy rates for downtown office space are dropping, fuelling pressure for new construction 20 years after the last privately funded tower was built in Montreal. The vacancy rate for Class A downtown buildings dropped to 6.2 per cent during the first three months of 2012, compared with 7.3 per cent during the same quarter last year, a report this week by real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield said.

 

Construction is under way for 230,000 square feet of new office space within the mixed-use Altoria project in the Quartier International district, and plans are being worked out for at least four new office projects – including one by Canderel and the Fonds immobilier de solidarité FTQ for a 30-storey building on the site of the old Spectrum theatre.

 

But tenants in Montreal – Canada’s second-largest office market after Toronto – are reluctant to accept the higher rents required for new construction, raising speculation about how many of these projects will actually break ground. Nationally, Montreal’s office rents remain comparatively low; during the first quarter, the average net rent for downtown office buildings was $16.87 a square foot in Montreal vs. $20.78 in Toronto and $25.32 in Vancouver, the Cushman report said.

 

Some argue Canderel’s site, located at Phillips Square and Cathcart St., south of Ste. Catherine St., would be better suited for condos. Indeed, the site is zoned for office or residential, an alternative once considered by Canderel, developer of Toronto’s 78-storey Aura condo skyscraper – Canada’s tallest residential building.

 

Still, Peritz said he expects tenants’ reluctance to pay higher rents will change as they discover that new Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) construction comes with operating efficiencies – including increased worker productivity, for example – that aren’t necessarily reflected in their basic costs.

 

What’s more, today’s companies want their office space to hold a larger number of employees per square foot than in the past, but Montreal’s aging stock of office buildings weren’t built with ample elevator or HVAC capacity, for example, to accommodate those extra workers.

 

“Our building stock is aging. If you look at tenants’ needs, the technical requirements are different now.”

 

alampert@montrealgazette.com

 

@RealDealMtl

 

1. Overdale Site

What is it now?

 

A 140,000-square-foot parking lot bordered by René Lévesque Blvd., Overdale Ave. and Lucien L’Allier and Mackay Sts.

 

What it could become?

 

Site bought for $28 million is to be transformed into a two-part project, with a 40-storey condo tower, said Jack Arduini, minority partner with businessman Kheng Ly in the numbered company that bought the land last year. The vocation of the second tower and ideas to transform the historic Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine mansion into a museum have yet to be finalized.

 

Will it work?

 

Plans are still in the city’s hands. Arduini said the project is well capitalized by Asian backers.

 

2. Waldorf Project

 

What is it now?

 

A parking lot East of Guy St., just south of Sherbrooke St. W.

 

What it could become?

 

Announced in 2008 during the tourism boom before the global economic crisis, the Waldorf project was pitched as a $200-million hotel with two towers, 250 guest rooms and 76 residences.

 

Will it work?

 

Originally scheduled to be completed in 2011, the project was put off because of the economic downturn. But four years later, a trailer on the site is the only evidence of a project. A Monit spokesperson said the project is “still very much alive” and has gone through several re-designs and consultations. “Monit is now re-examining certain elements of the project and fine-tuning the latest costing, which is too high. Once the final cost is established at a level satisfactory to Monit the sales program will be launched.”

 

3. Cadillac Fairview Project

 

What is it now?

 

Five million square feet of land surrounding the Bell Centre, amassed by pension fund manager Cadillac Fairview Corp. Ltd. for $150 million.

 

What it could become?

 

Announced a year ago, the $400-million project to build three condo towers on de la Montagne St. and an office tower on St. Antoine St. was said to resemble the Maple Leaf Square in Toronto.

 

Will it work?

 

In December, Cadillac Fairview received city approval for a residential tower just Southeast of Ave.-des-Canadiens and de la Montagne St. The 40-storey tower project, which has already changed in height a few times, according to media reports, is delayed.

 

Marketing of the residential building has not yet commenced, when it was originally supposed to begin by late 2011 or early 2012. Cadillac Fairview refused to comment.

 

4. Carterra Management/Broccolini Construction

 

What is it now?

 

A 33,000-square-foot parking lot located between René Lévesque Blvd. W., Canadiens-de-Montréal Ave. and between Drummond and de la Montagne Sts.

 

What it could become?

 

Bought by Montreal’s Broccolini Construction with financial backing from Toronto-based Carterra in January for about $14 million, the site was reported by media to be developed as condos. Sources, however, have recently told The Gazette that it would be built as an office tower.

 

Will it work?

 

Montreal’s downtown office vacancy rate is plummeting but securing tenants willing to pay rents that cover developers’ construction costs remains a challenge. If the tower is indeed built as condos, Broccolini would face competition from other projects. In a recent interview, Anthony Broccolini said he’s: “Not in a position now to release our plans.”

 

5. Rio Tinto Alcan project

 

What is it now?

 

The Maison Alcan, located at Sherbrooke St. W., between Drummond and Stanley Sts. is the Canadian headquarters of the global aluminum giant.

 

What it could become?

 

Last year, Rio Tinto Alcan put its headquarters up for sale amid media reports that it was looking for 200,000 square feet of space in a new LEED-certified tower. Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté was looking to transform the old head office into a type of venture to showcase the renowned Cirque.

 

Will it work?

 

The deal with Laliberté is solid, but it’s conditional on negotiations being finalized for a new Rio Tinto-anchored building at Westcliff’s Place de la cité internationale at Square Victoria.

© Copyright © The Montreal Gazette

 

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Montreal+skyline+facing+changes/6310073/story.html#ixzz1pFjii6fG

http://stm.info/English/info%5Ca-nomMPM10consul.htm

In spring 2011, more than 6000 people took part in a public consultation to find a name for the next generation of métro cars. The time has come to choose your favourite one among the five finalist names, which are:

AZUR

Refers to the intense blue colour of the sky. As such, AZUR perfectly brings to mind the colour of the métro’s future cars.

BOOMERANG

The idea behind BOOMERANG is that the métro always returns to its point of departure. The name itself implies reliability and dynamic movement.

VÉGA

VÉGA is relatively close to the Sun. Seen from Earth, it is the fifth brightest star in the night sky. A short, simple name, which makes VÉGA fun. It reminds us of the headlights on a metro as it enters the station.

KRONOS

In Greek mythology, KRONOS (or Cronus) is a ruling god that personified time and destiny. When spoken, the word brings to mind a chronometer, used to keep time accurately. Such an instrument is essential to operating a transit system, the same way a watch is essential to a train conductor. The letter K also gives it more steadiness and strength.

ZÉPHYR

According to Greek mythology, ZÉPHYR is the god of the west wind. A gentle breeze from the west, fresh, light, warm and pleasant… like the métro. Not only are the origins of the word interesting and rich with meaning, but it also gives a solid, credible name to our future metro.

Consultation period

From Thursday, March 8 to Sunday, March 25, 2012, at 4 p.m.

Wow! Really nice!

As has already been stated a number of times, LeftCoaster (who works for CF or at least has an insider view) always said that this project would be the shorter one, and that Montreal would probably be getting a new tallest building once CF uses all the land it has bought. This is still good news!

Yeah, it'll probably be about 132m which makes it even shorter than the Marriott Courtyard (136M).

A stunning building! All I can say is wow...

You included the reflection of Altoria on Tour de la Bourse I think..?

Nice location. Kinda really nice actually.

Soooo slowww.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Downtown+parking+sells+million/6051048/story.html

Downtown Montreal parking lot sold for $14 million

 

 

By Allison Lampert, The Gazette January 25, 2012 5:07 PM

 

 

The parking lot that faces the Bell Centre may become the home of a 50-storey tower.

 

A parking lot across from the Bell Centre has fetched one of downtown Montreal’s highest prices for land in the last five years, reflecting ongoing demand for sites in prime locations with sky-high zoning potential.

 

The 31,822-square-foot site on Ave. des Canadiens, between de la Montagne and Drummond Sts., sold for $14.1 million last week, real estate services firm CBRE Ltd. said.

 

Per square foot, it’s more than what most Montrealers would pay these days for a mid-priced condo.

 

The land was sold by Modico Canada Ltd. and Stationnement Modico Inc. to a Montreal developer backed by a Toronto equity partner.

 

The land fetched a high price because it could be used for anything from a 40-storey condo tower to a hotel to a giant bar where Habs fans could congregate after a game.

 

“It’s a site that can support any use,” said Brett Miller, CBRE’s executive vice president and regional managing director, Eastern Canada.

 

And just as Montreal-area condo starts and resales both hit record high levels in 2011, so have sales of the land used mostly in the construction of new residential towers. In the Greater Montreal Area, the sale volume of high density land, located mostly in the downtown core, rose from just over $152 million in 2010 to almost $161 million in 2011, CBRE figures show.

 

Miller said deals like the Modico lot transaction, which follow detailed market studies, prove that development is still strong in the Montreal area, despite remarks from some analysts and builders who say they are expecting softer sales in 2012 compared to previous years.

 

“It shows that among people in the know ... there’s the conviction that the market has strength.”

 

This week, the Quebec Federation of Real Estate Boards forecasted a two per cent rise in provincial housing sales, along with price increases slightly above inflation.

 

According to the Teranet-National Bank house price index released Wednesday, Canadian house prices dropped .2 per cent in November 2011 for the first time in nearly a year.

 

The national composite index, which tracks registered prices of homes sold at least twice, shows prices rose .4 per cent in Montreal, but fell in eight of the 11 metropolitan markets tracked — one more than in October.

 

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Downtown+Montreal+parking+sold+million/6051048/story.html#ixzz1kVjJCKWc

Oserais-je ajouter que cela prouve bien que sans le Québec, le cinéma canadien serait pratiquement inexistant? Voilà c'est dit....

Without Quebec, Canadian cinema is nothing, I agree. But remember, it's Best Foreign Language Film, not Best Film from a Foreign Country if more non-English Canadian films were made (like Water), maybe it would be better represented. Still, Quebec cinema is truly a gem in the film world (this coming from a film student who has seen film's from all around the world!)

Interessant, quel est le film hors Québec dans cette catégorie?

Water (2006) par Deepa Mehta. Elle était née en Inde mais elle s'est installé à Toronto en 1973. Le film est en Hindi.

Unfortunately it has no shot against A Separation (2011) but I am so excited to see it nominated. Canada has now had 6 nominated films (5 from Quebec) in the Best Foreign Language category, with one win.

It is clearly visible from the Ville-Marie expressway now. Rising quickly!

And Scorsese shot The Aviator (2004) here, so he knows the city. This is excellent news.

WOW!! Beautiful!