Plans take shape for major redevelopment of Montreal's Wellington Basin
A large industrial sector sandwiched between Griffintown and Pointe-Saint-Charles could soon look a lot different.
The Canada Lands Company (CLC) has plans to develop a portion of the sector referred to as the Wellington Basin.
A rendering of new development project in Montreal's Wellington Basin. (Source: Canada Lands Company)
"We view that these lands have the opportunity to really create a focal point and be a special place and give an identity to the whole neighbourhood," said Christopher Sweetnam-Holmes, the federal Crown corporation's senior director of real estate for Quebec.
The vision is to turn old industrial sites into housing. They want 2,800 new homes built with 1,000 units dedicated to affordable and social housing.
A rendering of new development project in Montreal's Wellington Basin. (Source: Canada Lands Company)
"What we're presenting today is the vision for the site," said Marcelo Gomez-Wiuckstern, the CLC's vice-president of corporate communications and public affairs. "Then, we work with the city for approvals to obtain zoning, and then we sell the lot to different developers, but they need to respect the vision."
The Wellington Basin project would also include an urban beach, three new parks and a sector dedicated to artists.
A rendering of new development project in Montreal's Wellington Basin. (Source: Canada Lands Company)
The plan will need approval from the City of Montreal, which already has a vision for the area.
"This is public land managed by the Government of Canada," said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante. "Of course, we have high expectations in terms of housing, but it's also in terms of a mixed city, in terms of access to the water."
Housing advocates are glad to see more homes being built, but they are concerned about the cost of affordable units.
A rendering of new development project in Montreal's Wellington Basin. (Source: Canada Lands Company)
"The definition of affordable housing and social housing can be somewhat vague, and we really don't know if these new units are going to meet the needs of Montrealers who need affordable housing," said Margaret Van Nooten, a member of Project Genesis.
The Canada Lands Company will have to decontaminate the land and then sell individual lots to developers.
"We have significant decontamination costs that we plan to spend at least $77 million in decontamination costs, which is not inconsequential," Sweetnam-Holmes said.
The plan could take 10 to 15 years to complete and the Crown corporation hopes to get shovels in the ground by 2025.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Loblaw leaders call criticism 'misguided,' say they aren't to blame for high food prices
Loblaw chairman Galen Weston and the company's new CEO are pushing back against critics who blame the grocery giant for soaring food prices, as a month-long boycott of the retailer gets underway.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
'Giant-killer' Kazushi Kimura to race in Kentucky Derby this weekend: 'I'm representing Canada and Japan'
Six years ago, at age 18, Kazushi Kimura left his home and family behind in Hokkaido, Japan to chase a dream. This weekend, he'll ride in the Kentucky Derby.
'What have we done?' Lawyer describes shock at possible role in Trump's 2016 victory
A lawyer who negotiated a pair of hush money deals at the centre of Donald Trump's criminal trial recalled Thursday his "gallows humor" reaction to Trump's 2016 election victory and the realization that his hidden-hand efforts might have contributed to the win.
Orangutan observed treating wound using medicinal plant in world first
Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behavior has been documented.
Quebec premier asks police to dismantle camp at McGill University
Quebec Premier Francois Legault has called on the police to dismantle the pro-Palestinian protest encampment on the lower field of McGill University's downtown campus in Montreal.
TD Bank hit with $9.2M penalty after failing to report suspicious transactions
Canada’s financial-crime watchdog has levied a $9.2-million penalty against The Toronto-Dominion Bank for non-compliance with money laundering and terrorist financing measures as the bank also faces compliance investigations in the U.S.