The promise of a tramway in Quebec has attracted real estate projects that are now weakened by its recent suspension. Discreet, the real estate developers who bet on this are nonetheless very unhappy.
“The feeling among promoters is that the CAQ is trying to bring the project to its death in an elegant way. […] For us, this is really not good. It’s blocking the city,” said the representative of a large real estate group in Quebec who preferred to remain anonymous for fear of alienating part of the population. “It’s difficult to publicly affirm one’s support for a project that is controversial among the population. »
On November 8, the government announced that it rejected the proposal from the mayor of Quebec, Bruno Marchand, and entrusted the Caisse de dépôt et placement (CDPQ Infra) with the mandate to define the future of the project.
Unconditional supporters of the tramway, the business community is unhappy, but prefers to leave it to others to transmit their message publicly, such as the Quebec Chamber of Commerce and the Urban Development Institute of Quebec (IDU).
“The word “uncertainty” is on everyone’s lips,” says the president of the Quebec Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Steeve Lavoie. “There were transactions taking place in the real estate market, acquisitions being made. There are people who were waiting for permits to raise commercial buildings, residential buildings. Everything is on pause at the moment…”
The Chamber of Commerce estimates pending investments in Quebec currently linked to the fate of the tramway at 1.8 billion. Certainly, recognizes Mr. Lavoie, the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault, gave a short deadline of six months to submit a solution to him. But then, “what’s going to happen?” ” he asks. “Will there be another delay afterwards? »
In the wake of the government’s decision, the Urban Development Institute — which brings together many real estate developers — also had to deal with the concerns of its members.
“We even had to hold a special regional council on the subject in the Quebec region,” says its president, Isabelle Melançon. “There are members of mine who have bet on the tramway by making investments on the axis where it must pass. From the moment it no longer exists, the values decrease. » Its members, she said, urge Quebec, Ottawa and the City to “stop bickering” and “find a common solution”.
No giving up
Mme Melançon, however, affirms that none of its members are thinking of withdrawing their marbles at this stage. “We’re not there yet,” she said. She immediately concedes that, tramway or not, risk is always omnipresent in the real estate sector. “But from the moment certain work was started and there were expropriations made, there was still a fairly strong signal being launched. »
At the west end, where the route’s terminus was to be located, the City planned to grow an entire densely populated neighborhood on currently fallow land.
Immeubles Roussin, a family business from Quebec, acquired land totaling an area of three million square feet in this area — the equivalent of 51 American football arenas — with the intention of setting up a development there. residential and commercial capable of accommodating 4,000 people and oriented towards modes of transport other than cars. The duty tried to contact the company several times, always in vain, to find out the future of the site, now that the tramway is in danger.
But it is in the Sainte-Foy sector, along Laurier Boulevard, that developers have been most active, according to the Chamber of Commerce. In this very dynamic area, the tram is certainly an asset, but it is not a prerequisite for everyone.
Thus, the company Douville, Moffet and associates (DMA) does not intend to draw a line under its ambitious project at the Laurier Québec shopping center. “We bought Laurier Québec with or without a tramway,” explains the president, Pierre Moffet. It is certain that a structuring network on Laurier Boulevard would be a good thing, but we cannot have better: there is the CHUL, a regional hospital center, just opposite. There is Laval University, an important study center, right next door. It is also located at the head of the bridges. »
The company therefore intends to move forward with its investment of one billion dollars over 10 years. Around Laurier Québec, several businesses have been subject to expropriation, which now creates uncertainty regarding vacant land. Two gas stations and a garage have closed their doors, between Route de l’Église and Avenue Cartier, to make way for rails or stations whose appearance now seems uncertain.
And the residents?
Pausing the project also affects residents of properties already located along the route. Especially those who face partial or total expropriation.
On Monday, Mayor Bruno Marchand said that 225 expropriation files were pending since the mandate given to CDPQ Infra.
Anne-Marie Bédard is co-owner of Chope Gobeline, a medieval-inspired restaurant on René-Lévesque Boulevard.
The arrival of the tram forced the destruction of its front terrace, an expensive stone arrangement complete with gargoyles. “We are preparing as if we were going to be expropriated,” she said.
In the absence of an agreement with the City on the amount of compensation, it has requested the services of an assessor and expects the matter to end up in court.
For the rest, she does not have a “precise” opinion on the project as such. “We assume that this will increase our traffic. But it’s not super clear either, what’s going to happen. »
Dorys Chabot, an opponent of the project, is also targeted by the expropriation of the front of her land on René-Lévesque. Given that she never wanted to negotiate with the City, the six-month pause does not change much in her plans.
However, this new chapter is yet another source of stress for many people, argues the spokesperson for the citizen group Québec deserves better.
Supporters of her cause often ask her who will “compensate” them for “all the stress they have experienced over the past three years,” she says. “There are people who haven’t slept for years because they were stressed about it. They were crying in their house. And there, they learn that it wasn’t even stronger than that! »