Place Versailles will be demolished little by little to make way for residential buildings, some of which will reach 25 floors, according to plans presented by the site’s owners to municipal authorities.
Some 5,000 homes, a school and a hotel should be built there over the coming years, in a new 17-hectare district served by the green metro line. Commercial spaces are also planned.
“The main lines of the project consist of gradually demolishing, in phases, the shopping center to create an attractive and welcoming urban living environment,” indicates the district of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve in a document presenting the project to elected officials.
“In the majority of the project, the proposed height varies between 12 and 16 floors,” continues the borough. “However, two of the buildings acting as landmarks are proposed on the site. The latter offer a maximum height of 25 floors and 115 meters. »
No image of the project is presented in municipal documents.
Members of the Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough council should ask the Montreal city council on Monday to authorize the demolition of Place Versailles. They will also send the file to the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) in order to solicit public participation.
A former pole of attraction
Place Versailles belongs to a Montreal business family, the Gregorys. The shopping center was inaugurated in 1963 and was at the time the first indoor shopping center in Montreal. The property has 4,000 parking spaces and 225 commercial premises.
Once very popular, the shopping center has declined in recent years, with the advent of online shopping and the loss of its regional appeal.
In 2021, the owners of the center had already started working on a project to transform the premises. A mandate to this effect had been registered in the Register of Lobbyists, reporting an arrangement over a period of 25 years.
“This is a project in its embryonic state,” explained André Bouthillier, of the National firm, acting as spokesperson for the owners.
Friday, Mr. Bouthillier indicated that his clients did not wish to speak before the project goes before the Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough council.
“Buffer screen”
In addition to the tall towers, the project would include two-story buildings to smooth the transition to the surrounding single-family residential neighborhood.
The other element of geographical context to take into account is the passage of Highway 25 along the edge of the site.
“In order to ensure nuisance management”, indicates the district, “a buffer screen must be set up”. In addition, the buildings will be constructed in such a way as to limit views of the main road.
The project is supported by officials of the Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district, in particular because it “meets the sector’s densification objectives” and “contributes to the construction of social, affordable and family housing on site”. “The building to be demolished does not have any significant architectural characteristics,” they add.
700 housing units at the Halles d’Anjou
The first major real estate project linked to the extension of the blue line has just passed a crucial stage: the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) has issued a favorable opinion – with reservations – for the erection of two 19-storey towers on Halles d’Anjou.
The project, led by developer Jadco, should include nearly 700 housing units. They will be located halfway between the future Langelier and Anjou metro stations.
“In the context of a crisis [du] housing, this initiative can only be welcomed,” indicates the OCPM in the conclusion of its report, published Friday. “However, the project has significant gaps in its response to the climate crisis, including the integration of sustainable development elements. »
The report asks the developer in particular to rework access to the site for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as to “create a real living environment including local services in the area”.