Heritage, jig and student accommodation

A great wind of heritage protection blew across Quebec last week, with relative indifference.

Suddenly, the Minister of Culture, Mathieu Lacombe, signed legal notices which will protect 36 new elements. This is excellent news, since requests for protection have been dragging on for decades for some of these properties.

The list is eclectic. There is Château Bellevue, built in 1777 on Côte-de-Beaupré. The Stations of the Cross of the South Basin, in Estrie. The site of the Atwater filtration plant, in Montreal. And some “intangible” elements, including… jitter!

It will be necessary to see if these new designations will be accompanied by sufficient budgets to ensure their development. THE jigsaw and other heritage lovers could wait years to get the facts right.

In the immediate future, a huge heritage revitalization project is underway, discreetly, in the heart of the metropolis.

The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) has been developing plans since July to convert six disused pavilions of the former Royal Victoria Hospital into 1,000 “beds” for university students.

This project ticks several boxes for an intelligent transformation of heritage buildings. On paper, anyway.

If it comes to fruition, the complex will somewhat reduce the shortage of student housing plaguing Montreal. This in itself is an excellent use, much more digestible (and useful) for the community than a conversion to luxury condos.

Another point to consider: its project manager benefits from considerable resources. The CDPQ could carry out the project by assuming part of the bill, outside the balance sheet of the Quebec government. A significant detail in this upcoming period of budgetary restrictions.

The project would also – and above all – bring magnificent buildings from the beginning of the 20th century back to life.^e century clinging to the side of Mount Royal, which otherwise risk falling into ruin.

The premises have been vacant since the transfer of activities from Royal Victoria to the MUHC hospital in 2015. Élise Proulx, head of economic development in Quebec at Ivanhoé Cambridge, the Caisse’s real estate subsidiary, offered me a tour of the premises. last week.

I can confirm it to you: the desertion of buildings is evident – ​​literally – from every wall. The setting would be perfect for filming an entire season of the horror series American Horror Story.

Yes, the buildings have benefited from minimal maintenance in recent years, courtesy of the Société québécoise des infrastructures. But the premises, which were already dilapidated when the “Royal Vic” closed, were deteriorating at an accelerating speed, I noticed.

Large pieces of ceiling collapsed everywhere. A smell of mold hangs in the air. Several windows are smashed. Graffiti adorns certain corridors and empty rooms, a sign that squatters have adopted the place.

At the same time, we find some surprisingly well preserved parts, such as this mint green ceramic operating room or this auditorium intended for medical students. Real time capsules, quite creepy, thank you. Some pieces will be preserved for posterity.

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So what is the Fund’s plan?

Under an agreement signed last summer with Quebec, the government would remain owner of the premises under a long lease, probably for 99 years. The State would pay for a portion of the upgrading of the buildings, then Ivanhoé Cambridge would then be responsible for fitting out and operating the student residences.

According to this agreement, the Caisse would benefit from a “priority” return on rental income earned over the years. The Quebec government would subsequently receive a return, beyond a pre-established threshold, according to a formula similar to that put in place for the Réseau express métropolitain (REM). The details of the sharing remain to be established.

Ivanhoé Cambridge gave itself 12 to 18 months to carry out a complete analysis of the state of the premises, with the help of engineering firms.

From the outset, the scale of the work is impressive. Asbestos will have to be removed everywhere. Consolidate buildings so that they meet seismic standards. Maybe even remove every stone from the old buildings and store them during the work. “It’s going to be expensive,” Élise Proulx summed up for me.

There will be several zeros at the bottom of the invoice, that’s clear.

The discoveries that will be made during this feasibility analysis will make it possible to establish the precise number of “beds” included in the project. The Caisse hopes to be able to accommodate between 700 and 1,000 students in the long term. The objective would be to “densify” as much as possible to obtain adequate “profitability”.

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When I write that this project ticks several boxes, it is also because it respects the fruit of the work carried out by the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM). The conclusions of this organization have sometimes been flouted, for example when the administration of Valérie Plante decided to condemn road access to Mount Royal this fall.

The people consulted by the OPCM were largely in favor of integrating student accommodation on the site of the former Royal Victoria Hospital, provided that it was affordable.

The Caisse plans to create a true “university city”. The complex would house students from all Montreal establishments, not just those from McGill University, located just a stone’s throw away.

The planned increase in tuition fees for students from other Canadian provinces, which could cause McGill’s clientele to drop, in no way calls into question the viability of the project, Élise Proulx told me.

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While Ivanhoé Cambridge is carrying out its analyses, McGill, which inherited the southern portion of the site, has already begun its redevelopment work to expand its campus. The university shared several of its technical findings with the group, particularly in relation to the upgrading of seismic standards.

Élise Proulx is convinced that the Caisse will be able to present some redevelopment scenarios to the Legault government by January 2025. It will then be up to Quebec to decide.

Soon enough, we hope, to avoid irrecoverable damage to these buildings.

NOTE: A previous version of this column indicated that the Quebec government would receive a “priority” return. For the purposes of clarity, let us specify that it is the CDPQ which would receive a “priority” return on rental income. The Caisse would then pay sums to the government, beyond a pre-established yield threshold, according to a sharing formula to be determined.