The Molson district is taking shape

The owners of the land of the former Molson brewery, in Old Montreal, are launching the first phase of work leading to the transformation of this strategic district, located at the foot of the Jacques-Cartier bridge.

Andre Dubuc
The Press

As a first step, the consortium formed by Montoni, Groupe Sélection and Fonds immobilier FTQ is tackling the Îlot des Voltigeurs, the oldest portion of the site, where the buildings of heritage interest are concentrated.

In this block, 75% of the existing buildings will be kept or transformed, explains Normand Bélanger, President and CEO of the Fonds immobilier de solidarité FTQ, in an interview.

There is talk of fitting out offices for the regional head office of the brewer Molson Coors in the historic building at 1670, rue Notre-Dame Est. “According to the agreement we have with Molson, the offices must be delivered in 2024,” underlines Mr. Bélanger.

The other buildings, forming the remaining 25%, will be dismantled. The demolition permit should be issued this week or next week, says one at Montoni.

Last month, the consortium presented the concept for the redevelopment of the Voltigeurs block to the Urban Planning Advisory Committee (CCU) of the Ville-Marie borough. The concept received a favorable opinion from the CCU.

The owners are continuing their steps leading to the development of the final project for the entire site in compliance with the provisions of the Special Urban Plan (PPU) for the Faubourgs sector. In particular, this imposes a limit on the floor area of ​​750 square meters for floors above 45 meters.

Last June, Groupe Sélection publicly expressed its disappointment with the restrictive provisions of the PPU. “The heights are not what we expected,” said a spokesperson for Groupe Sélection. The resulting reception capacity does not allow us to achieve the vision we had developed based on the agreement signed in June 2019 with the City of Montreal. »

Reached by telephone on Tuesday, Philippe Bouclin, VP of real estate development for Groupe Sélection, explains that following this public release last year, discussions have progressed between the consortium and the City. “We realized that we, the City and we, were pursuing the same objectives. We are going to present a development vision that respects the orientations and the vision of the PPU,” he maintains.

A concern for heritage

Details on the new constructions of the île des Voltigeurs will be known later. We already know that these will have a cascading silhouette around the Molson tower.

This tower, which houses the brewer’s emblematic clock and sign, will be renovated. These two elements will first be removed, then stored, restored and reinstalled. The chimney will also be preserved.

Since the acquisition of the lots in 2019, the trio Montoni-Selection-Fonds immobilier FTQ has worked on its vision of the site for two years. To do this, he enlisted the services of the urban planning firm BC2, Sid Lee Architecture, the archeology firm Arkéos as well as Luce Lafontaine, architect and consultant in the conservation of built heritage.

The owners also want to open the site to neighboring neighborhoods and create visual breakthroughs towards the St. Lawrence River. Public spaces will also be developed.

The entire site of the former Molson Brewery has the potential to accommodate up to 6,000 housing units as well as over 93,000 square meters (1 million square feet) of retail and office space. The project of nearly 560,000 square meters (6 million square feet) also provides for a civic center encompassing the lands of the Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal, which will be reserved for social or affordable housing.