In the midst of soaring rent prices in Montreal, the City announced on Wednesday the sale of two lots intended for the construction of nearly 140 social housing units in the districts of Griffintown and Outremont.
The municipal administration has approved the sale to the non-profit organization Place Griffintown of a vacant lot for the sum of $720,000 – the price paid by the City in 2021. Place Griffintown will proceed, with financial assistance of 1 .6 million from the Sud-Ouest borough, for the construction of 54 social housing units. Most will be for families, the city said.
The project will take shape at the intersection of Versailles and Barré streets, in the heart of Griffintown.
“We are increasing our efforts to promote the construction, acquisition and preservation of social housing,” said Benoit Dorais, head of housing at the City of Montreal and mayor of the Southwest, in a press release.
A boost in Outremont
In another neighborhood in the throes of gentrification, Outremont, the City will sell land to the Suroît solidarity cooperative for the sum of $1 million. The market value of the land located on Outremont Street, in the MIL Montreal project, is estimated at 9.5 million.
The municipal administration is therefore financing the construction of the 6-storey building to the tune of 8.5 million, which will include 85 social housing units and a community hall that will be occupied by the cooperative.
Robert Beaudry, responsible for urban planning, believes that this transaction will “increase the number of housing units for families in the borough of Outremont”.
On Twitter, Mayor Valérie Plante said protecting Montreal’s affordability was a priority for her administration. “We are working with our partners to carry out these important projects for families and the people of Montreal,” she wrote.