More development is planned for what used to be the heart of Montreal's red light district, and this time the developers and the provincial government hope they've come up with a plan that will succeed.
The Angus corporation has announced plans for what it is calling St. Laurent Square: a mixed commercial/residential building for the block south of Ste. Catherine St. that stretches between Clark St. and St. Laurent Blvd.
The company will construct two new buildings in the space, working around the building occupied by Café Cleopatre whose owners have resisted multiple attempts at expropriation.
Along Ste. Catherine St. the developers will build a residential tower.
In the space to the south Angus plans a commercial building that will have ground-level storefronts combined with offices above.
The provincial government plans to support the development by moving 700 government workers into the offices, including employees who work for the ministry of Justice, for 25 years.
Premier Pauline Marois said on Monday that many of the employees would only move in once their current leases expired.
The office tower should be constructed by 2017, with the first digging getting underway in the fall of 2014. The development should be completed by January 2018.
The plan to revamp the area began about five years ago when the city started urging business owners around the intersection of St. Laurent and Ste. Catherine to sell.
In May 2010 construction finally began on the 2-22, a building that was supposed to be the centrepiece of the area.
Most of the Quartier des Spectacles, including the open-air Place des Festivals and a new symphony hall, have finished construction with other buildings well under way.
