Montreal is set to convert the former Berri bus terminal into a housing complex with affordable units, addressing the city’s housing crisis.
Montreal: The city is making some exciting moves! They’re planning to turn the old Berri bus terminal into a housing complex with 1,030 units. And guess what? More than half of those will be affordable!
They’ve teamed up with UTILE and Mondev for this project, which will sit right at the corner of De Maisonneuve Boulevard and Berri Street. It’s a prime spot in Ville-Marie.
The new building is expected to be between 14 and 20 stories tall. UTILE focuses on student housing, while Mondev is one of the biggest real estate developers in the city.
Out of the affordable units, around 430 will be set aside for students. Plus, a non-profit called Maison des gens de lettres will offer 100 social housing units. They’re all about helping writers and literary workers who might be struggling.
There’s more! The plans also include commercial and community spaces on the ground floor. This means more activities and services for everyone in the area.
Montreal’s Mayor, Valérie Plante, is really excited about this project. She believes it will help tackle the housing crisis, especially in downtown Montreal, where it’s been tough.
She called it an “ambitious project” that’s just a stone’s throw from downtown and has great public transport links.
Located near the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and the Grande Bibliothèque, it’s a super convenient spot. The Berri-UQAM Metro station is right there too!
Laurent Levesque, the CEO of UTILE, mentioned that they’ve been talking about the need for student housing in Quartier Latin for 15 years now.
Back in 2018, the city bought part of Îlot Voyageur from the Quebec government for $18 million. They recently put it up for sale to develop social and affordable housing.
Initially, they had a tender process, but that got suspended. Now, they’re moving forward with a mutual agreement, which is way more flexible.
Robert Beaudry, who’s in charge of fighting homelessness, said this new approach gives them more room to negotiate and adapt the project as needed.
Next up, they’ll dive into planning, design, and securing funding for the non-profit side of things. No timeline is set yet, but Levesque thinks they could wrap it up in four to five years.
UTILE and Mondev are gearing up to present a solid proposal to the city soon. Exciting times ahead for Montreal!
