Site of Molson Brewery to feature social housing and green space, developer says

The developers planning to rebuild the site of Montreal's Molson Brewery into a mixed-use residential neighbourhood with a park and pedestrian-only area said Wednesday they intended to devote 20 per cent of the project to social housing. 

Montoni and Fonds immobilier de solidarité FTQ presented their vision for the area, which sits just south of Notre-Dame Street, in the shadow of the Jacques-Cartier Bridge, at a news conference.

Accompanied by a wooden mock-up of the site, they said they hoped to build a neighbourhood where Montrealers would feel at home. It would have views of the St. Lawrence River, a revitalized park for visitors and residents to lounge near the water and incorporate the heritage and facades of the historic building.

"For me, this is a career project," Dario Montoni, the developer, said. "To be able to give back to Montrealers something they'll be proud of for future generations, to open up the waterfront, to really appreciate the waterfront, have beautiful parks, beautiful places we can gather, for us, it's a landmark project."

The Molson Brewery, founded by John Molson in 1786, was the first brewery in North America. Over decades, the site on Notre-Dame grew and became an industrial hub. The building now sits unused and demolition work has already begun on some parts of the facility after Molson's brewing operations moved to Longueuil, Que.

Representatives for the developers acknowledged that major hurdles remain to be cleared. Not least of which is getting their plans approved by the city. Part of that process will be to integrate the required 20-20-20 rule: 20 per cent of the development devoted each to social housing, affordable housing and family housing.

The social housing part of that equation has posed a challenge to developers, many of whom argue it makes profitable development difficult or impossible. Many developers have previously chosen to pay fines or offer the city land as compensation instead of including social housing in their developments.

But the Molson developers said they had taken great pains to meet the criteria set by the city. They had allocated several lots to social housing and the project itself is meant to attract families to the area with the inclusion of green space, public areas and pedestrian-friendly alleyways — and units big enough to house them.

Montoni said one of the highlights of the development will be Sohmer Park, which, in the 1800s before the area was fully industrialized, provided Montrealers a space for public performances and recreation. The new plans for the area include a park near where the original Sohmer Park was located. 

Alia Hassan-Cournol, a designated city councillor for the Ville-Marie borough, said the city was pleased with the developers' vision for the area.

"From what we've seen, it's a very interesting project," she said.

The project, in its current state, would respond to the needs of citizens in Ville-Marie, who, she said, have been asking for more green spaces, public spaces and access to the water.

She said the city will be proactive in delivering the permits for the site, given that it appears to meet all the requirements set by city bylaws, including the 20-20-20 criteria.

The developers intend to begin construction in 2025, with the first residential units slated to open in 2027. But the final project, expected to cost $2.5 billion, will only be fully completed between 2030 and 2032.