Nouveaux Grands Chantiers - Montreal

[rosey12387]

I’m a big fan of the Grands Chantiers section of Montreal 2025. I’ve always been someone who believes the public sector should lay out the general framework and the ground rules for an area – the master plan – and that once that is complete it’s then the private sectors time to shine and help implement that plan through various firms' fields of expertise.

 

That being said what happens when the majority of the various elements of Montreal’s “Quatre Grands Chantiers” are approved and are well into the development stage. What’s next?

 

I have several suggestions I will be posting in the near future. Here is the first. I’d love it if others posted their own ideas as well.

 

Grand Chantier: LES ABORDS DE L'AUTOROUTE 720

 

 

This is not so much a district as much as it’s the meeting point of several districts; an area with lots of development opportunities and potential for improvement:

 

Such as:

-Les Diamants

-Le Mackay

-1175 Mackay

-1300 René-Lévesque Ouest

-The development of the Overdale lot

-1500 René-Lévesque Ouest

-The Hotel Maritime redevelopment

-The redevelopment of 1800 René-Lévesque Ouest

-The redevelopment of the Franciscans property

-The redevelopment of the Montreal Children’s facilities once it leaves for the Glen Yards

-The redevelopment of the Dow Planetarium

-La Cité du commerce électronique - Place III

-The Cadillac Fairview - Gare Bonaventure project.

-The creation of a new square in commemoration of Chaboillez Square near Griffintown

-Covering the side of the 720 facing Saint-Antoine west of Lucien L’Allier with ivy or some other type of greenery to make the streetscape more appealing for area residents

 

Just to name a few

[rosey12387]

Here's 3 more. I have 5 others still in mind.

 

GRAND CHANTIER : PARC D’AFFAIRES L’ASSOMPTION

 

 

I think this could be an interesting collaborative effort between the likes of Technopôle Angus, Technoparc Montreal and Liberty Sites once their current projects begin to reach closer to capacity. The uniqueness of having a metro station and an expressway (the new 720) within the business park along with the adjacent Quartier de la Vie makes me think this project could be a slam dunk years down the line.

 

GRAND CHANTIER: QUARTIER FRANCON-LACORDAIRE

 

 

The city appears to have problems attracting families to the city. I think it’s due, at least in part, to the fact that a good number of the residential development in the city just isn’t conducive to family living. That isn’t to say they aren’t worthwhile projects, but if the city wants to attract families they probably won’t have too easy of a time doing it with developments catered towards young professionals and retiring baby boomers in neighbourhoods that aren’t ideal for raising families. This area, however, I think has the legs to become an attractive place to live for families.

 

-With Smart Centres already having a centre nearby on Henri-Bourassa and Lacordaire I’d much rather see housing development in place of a new Smart Centre. There’d even be room for a little shopping plaza – something like they have in Bois-Franc near the golf course. (Smart Centres aren’t totally opposed to working on housing developments which can be seen by the big sign on the 40 on the piece of land that they own next to Fairview that says: “projet mixte urbain: commercial, bureaux, residential”.) A housing development to the east and the Complexe environnemental de Saint-Michel to the west would really turn northern Saint-Michel around.

 

-North of the quarry and stretching all the way to Lacordaire is the industrial section of Montreal North, bounded to the south by the train tracks. I’d love to see at least a good chunk of that industrial converted into residential. Many cities have kms upon kms of people in similar tax brackets living in the same georgraphic area, Athens being a pretty good example of this, with the northern and southern suburbs being well off, while the eastern and western suburbs are much poorer. The Montreal model, especially of the past decade, has proven that the way to improve the image of an area is to diversify the income levels of people who live there, that means a) allowing development to bring wealthier people to poorer neighbourhoods and on the flip side b) diversifying the areas in which affordable and social housing is developed to avoid creating ghettos. I’m not saying they should necessarily build McMansions in southern Montreal North, but building houses in the $300,000 - $450,000 range, similar to Le Faubourg Contrecoeur, might not be a bad idea. My only concern is the feasibility of that price range considering existing industrial properties will have to be purchased or expropriated.

 

-In terms of the road network, I’d like to see Viau connected to Boulevard Saint-Gertrude to integrate what would be two residential neighbourhoods on either side of the tracks. And with the creation of the Pie-IX and Lacordaire stations of the Train de l’Est it might not be out of the realm of possibility to dream up two or three projects mimicking the SHDM’s Le Phoenix Condominiums near Bois-Franc train station in Saint-Laurent on either side of the tracks on Pie-IX and/or Lacordaire.

 

 

GRAND CHANTIER: LES ABORDS DU CANAL LACHINE

 

 

While the The Société du Havre du Montréal is concentrated on the waterfront near downtown there is still tons of potential west of Griffintown along the Lachine Canal.

 

This project would constitute the redevelopment of various areas bordering the canal including:

- Eastern Lachine

- The Turcot area – regardless of the project chosen

- The Horizon Milling facilities in Little Burdgundy

- Industrial LaSalle

- The Nordelec

- The area squeezed between the Lachine Canal and the Aqueduct Canal bordered by the 20/15 to the west and to the south, the train tracks to the east and the Lachine Canal to the North. A sound barrier could be put up against the highway and this area, along with St-Ambroise west of Square Sir-G.-Etienne-Cartier across the canal, would become an excellent location for residential development.