Montreal plans to turn Molson Brewery site into residential neighbourhood

The old industrial Molson Brewery site downtown Montreal will be transformed into a residential neighbourhood with a public park and some 5,000 housing units.

The $2.5 billion project is spearheaded by developer Montoni Group and the Fonds immobilier de solidarité FTQ, who presented their ambitious plan at a news conference Wednesday.

They say they want the Quartier Molson to be “a model of sustainable real estate development” and revitalize the downtown area, while keeping some emblematic elements of the former brewery. The Molson tower, chimney stack, clock and lighted sign will be preserved.

Montoni said it will follow Montreal’s by-law for a diverse metropolis, earmarking 20 per cent of its 5,000 units for social housing, 20 per cent for family-sized housing with three bedrooms or more, and another 20 per cent for affordable housing — a concept that has been widely rejected among builders because it's not cost-effective. Most developers opt to pay the city a fine to get out of the requirement. But Projet Montreal says it's not negociable for this project.

"This is the agreement we have. This is the way we want to do, and there is no way the promoter is going to change that," said Alia Hassan of the city's executive committee.

Plans also include extending the waterfront walkway, adding retail spaces, and revitalizing a 150,000 square feet greenspace that was once Sohmer Park, home to an amusement park and circus in the 19th century.

Construction is set to begin in 2025, given they have all necessary permits approved, said Montoni, though the average wait-time for permit approval is two years. The city said it will need Montoni's plans to approve the permits, but it's not impossible for construction to start next year.

Citizen consultations will be held Thursday and Friday (Dec. 12 and 13) on the former brewery site. Residents are encouraged to meet the developers, see the plans for themselves and ask questions about the project.

Montoni, Groupe Sélection and Fonds immobilier de solidarité FTQ, acquired the land in 2019 for $126 million and have been teasing different development plans over the last two years. Molson packed up its Notre Dame brewery and moved to the South Shore in 2021, after 200 years in Montreal. 

The first phase of construction will focus on the Îlot des Voltigeurs, which Montoni says will be a tourism corridor, but could include public services like a community centre, depending on needs expressed in the consultations. Housing will also be included in the initial construction phase.

With files from Stéphane Giroux