The Royalmount developers have not lost hope of convincing the Town of Mount Royal to allow them to add a residential component to their mega-commercial complex project.
Two days before the Royalmount opens to the public, media representatives were able to visit the shopping complex on Tuesday. The site was bustling with workers busy with final preparations and fitting out the premises. Because not everything will be ready for the grand opening on Thursday since only half of the stores will be open. The developers are talking about a “progressive” opening that should increase the occupancy rate of the premises to 85% by Christmas. According to Claude Marcotte, partner at Carbonleo, the developer of the project, this is a wise decision, because it will make it easier to manage traffic, he explained.
The site is home to about fifty restaurants and about sixty works of art by Quebec and international artists. Other elements of the project will come to fruition later, such as the movie theaters that will be operational by Christmas and the giant aquarium that should be completed by the end of 2026.
The complex will evolve over the next decade since the first phase inaugurated this week represents only 10% of the overall project which should, in time, include office spaces, hotels and residential towers. But the residential component of the project is, for the moment, facing opposition from the Town of Mount Royal.
“This is the new Midtown of Montreal,” says Andrew Lutfy, CEO of Carbonleo. “This is the first of 20 phases.” […] I promise you that within ten years, there will be thousands of people living in Royalmount and there will be office towers.”
According to Claude Marcotte, the Royalmount stands out from other shopping centres due to the presence of major high-end brands that have set up shop there, including Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, Dior, Saint-Laurent, Rolex and Gucci. “This will help to promote Montreal internationally and 50% of the brands that are not currently in the market,” Mr. Marcotte notes.
Royalmount is not limited to luxury and glitz, which represents 10% of the commercial offering, the developers insist. While Royalmount offers an alley where major brands rub shoulders with a beauty center with a champagne bar, it also includes a section housing more affordable fashion boutiques. According to Claude Marcotte, Royalmount favors “luxury for everyone.” “People can arrive by metro via the footbridge. […] It is a very democratic, very open sector.”
The residential component
The developers remain convinced that they will be able to convince the administration of Mount Royal Mayor Peter Malouf to agree to the construction of the desired 4,500 housing units. “It’s an intelligent solution for the development of Montreal, for the development of a project of this magnitude where all the functions must be found,” believes Claude Marcotte. “The mayor was elected with that in mind. But, clearly, he didn’t have access to the studies and all the information.”
The inclusion of social housing is not, however, envisaged by the developers. “It must be understood that the project, by its genesis and the entire ecosystem, targets housing or condos of a slightly higher market,” emphasizes Mr. Marcotte.
The developers boast of having carried out an ecological project by focusing on the development of 520,000 square feet of green spaces and on an energy loop system combining 150 geothermal wells with hydroelectricity, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 93% compared to a similar shopping centre, it is argued. Inside, under the glass roof that lets in natural light, Carbonleo has however opted for planting maple trees… artificial ones, to green the spaces. “It would have been much less expensive to have real trees. On the other hand, you have to understand that sugar maples go dormant in the winter and cannot survive in an indoor environment.”
Pedestrian bridge
The first phase of Royalmount, which required investments of more than a billion dollars, will bring in between 15 and 20 million in municipal taxes, 68% of which will be paid to the Montreal agglomeration while the balance will go to the Town of Mount Royal. Carbonleo anticipates some 25 million visitors for the first year.
To reduce the impact on traffic, Carbonleo has implemented several measures, including the addition of two lanes to Chemin de la Côte-de-Liesse and the construction, at a cost of $50 million, of a 200-metre-long pedestrian bridge over Décarie Boulevard to connect the project to the Savane metro station. The bridge is universally accessible, but this is not the case for the Savane metro station.
The Royalmount also has 1,800 underground parking spaces that will be paid for after the first half hour and various promotions. “We want to avoid people leaving their cars here and flying to Mexico for ten days,” explains Claude Marcotte.