Montrealers’ money will not be invested in the construction of a baseball stadium, assured Valérie Plante on Tuesday. At the end of a meeting with the representatives of the Baseball Montreal Group, the mayoress indicated that she had asked the promoters of the return of baseball to the metropolis to be transparent and to present an update of their project to population.
“Montreal will not be the promoter of the return of baseball. There will be no public money from Montrealers in the construction of a stadium, ”said Valérie Plante during a press scrum on Tuesday noon. “That being said, it’s a project that we find interesting – we have said it from the start – but there are steps to follow and the next step for us is for the Baseball Group to update. day to the population, that they can speak about their project and their vision and answer the questions, because there are many of them. “
Mme Plante made these comments following his meeting with representatives of the Montreal Baseball Group, led by Stephen Bronfman.
The City will present its vision for the development of the Bridge-Bonaventure sector in the wake of the report tabled by the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) last year. “Everyone will be able to make a proposal for the development of the sector. So, from there the importance that the Baseball Group continues its steps and shares it publicly. “
Valérie Plante maintained that Montrealers had been very clear during the election campaign and that, for them, the priority issues were housing, ecological transition and economic development.
Optimistic bronfman
For his part, Stephen Bronfman was optimistic about the realization of his project in Peel Basin and promises “more than a baseball stadium” for Montreal.
The Baseball Montreal Group has partnered with real estate developer Devimco to develop the entire neighborhood around this possible stadium. Mr. Bronfman mentioned the creation of a community project that will be in operation 12 months a year, an infrastructure “which Montreal badly needs”.
The businessman has promised to present the project to the public in the near future, either in January or February. The head of the Claridge investment company believes he will soon get the green light from Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred to move forward with the presentation of his project.
Last week, Press reported that the Montreal Baseball Group could request a financial contribution from Quebec of up to $ 300 million on a project estimated at $ 1 billion, depending on the scenario that could be adopted. Mr Bronfman did not confirm these figures, merely recalling that it was more than a baseball stadium.
For this meeting with Mayor Plante, Mr. Bronfman was accompanied by the president of Claridge, Pierre Boivin, and William Jegher, of the firm EY and close collaborator of Stephen Bronfman in the file of the return of baseball.
With The Canadian Press