Two malls in Montreal’s east end to be turned into housing

A large piece of land in east Montreal is slated to be turned into a new neighbourhood, complete with 7,000 housing units, commercial spaces and a new park.

A large swath of land in Montreal’s east end is slated to be turned into a new neighbourhood, complete with 7,000 housing units, commercial spaces and a new park.

The area on Jean-Talon Street and Langelier Boulevard in the Saint-Léonard borough, about the size of 25 football fields, currently has two malls, which will be demolished or repurposed.

The city says the 1,450,000-square-metre sector is a major heat island, which could be transformed into “a living environment that promotes active mobility, social diversity and quality urban environment.”

Developer Groupe MACH says it plans to include 1,300 units of social and community housing, family homes, an elementary school and several public amenities.

It estimates the project will take 15 years and $3.5 billion to complete, which the developer is paying with its partners.

“The only place where we’ll rely on government is on the social housing part, where you need to have the financing,” said Daniel Arbour, vice-president of major projects at Groupe MACH. “We would like to build the housing at the same time as we build the rest of the project, and not have vacant land ... We believe social housing is an element of a good community.”

The neighbourhood will be built in seven phases.

The first phase will comprise five residential towers with 1,000 housing units — both condos and rentals — along with 250 social and community housing units for students.

A cultural centre with a library and auditorium laid out around a public square on a future Metro station is also slated for phase one.

The square will have underground parking and a shopping area.

Depending on government approval, two high-rises will be built directly on the future Langelier Blue Line Metro station.

Groupe MACH says it expects to finish the first phase at the same time as the new station’s opening in 2031.

On top of the new Metro station, the developer says it wants to encourage “soft mobility” by creating pedestrian zones and bike lanes between shops, homes and public spaces.

Groupe MACH says the idea is to make it possible to walk to the Metro from one end to the other in less than eight minutes.

“The full project is planned in a way that you don’t need to have a car,” said Arbour.

To mitigate the urban heat island effect, some 1,000 trees are also slated to be planted. At the moment, most of the area is dedicated to parking.

There are also plans for a linear park, green roofs and two urban promenades in addition to the public square.

The linear park will continue off the Boisé Jean-Milot with a pedestrian link to Félix-Leclerc Park to revitalize the green corridor along the former Molson Creek.

“This project is based on a strong conviction: urban planning centered on people, aimed at repairing a run-down urban fabric and breathing new life into a sector that is losing momentum,” said Arbour.

He said the project is unique because the suburban area isn’t very dense but has lots of commercial activity.

Arbour said he believes retailers will want to stay in the area once it is densified.

Over the last few years, the City of Montreal has been putting out calls for projects to revitalize and innovate its east end through sustainable reindustrialization, green businesses and social innovation.

With files from CTV News’ Matt Gilmour.