The head of housing for the Plante administration said he was “surprised” on Monday by the lack of interest from property developers for the first lot offered on the former grounds of the racecourse.
A call for tenders launched last fall by the City of Montreal for a 4,200 square meter plot did not elicit any bids, revealed The Press at the end of January. The City asked for a minimum price of 10 million and required that 60% of the condos built be affordable.
“It was also a surprise for us to see that the private sector was not there when the land had a really extremely high discount. The land was sold. We gave entrepreneurs every chance to go there,” said Benoit Dorais, Valérie Plante’s housing manager. “It is a pity that the private sector did not say yes. »
The elected official pointed out that another land offered to the community sector had, for its part, aroused a lot of interest.
According to information collected by The Press, developers were reportedly put off by the minimum price set by the City, as well as the lack of a master plan for the rest of the racecourse site.
Mr. Dorais answered questions from Stéphanie Valenzuela, elected from the official opposition, to the municipal council.
The development of the old racecourse in Montreal is falling behind schedule. Racing has ceased since 2009. Mayors Gérald Tremblay and Denis Coderre have both drawn up development plans for the area, calling for the construction of 5,000 to 8,000 housing units. But the Plante administration preferred to develop its own project.