Place Vertu gets approval to advance redevelopment plan
Six years ago, before the COVID pandemic, The Suburban was told, off the record, that there were redevelopment plans for St. Laurent’s Place Vertu, which is 50 years old as of Aug. 28.
But in the ensuing years, we heard of delays in the process, some related to COVID. The mall’s ownership also changed, now it belongs to Groupe Jadco. Area residents and store owners were also consulted in the interim.
But at the recent St. Laurent borough meeting, the council enabled the mall’s developers to move forward with its redevelopment plans — maintaining and revitalizing the bulk of the commercial space and adding residential developments.
According to a City of Montreal document, the context for the redevelopment is that while Place Vertu thrived in its heyday, “over the past 15 years, the centre has lost its appeal due to increased competition and the obsolescence of its facilities.”
The document also points out that as it is in the heart of an area that includes Fairview, Royalmount, and Marché Central and that because those areas are more easily accessible from highways, “it is unlikely that Place Vertu will regain its former regional influence.
“The crisis caused by the coronavirus and the rise of online commerce have accelerated its decline. Over the past 15 years, the shopping centre’s various owners have come and gone, proposing various attempts at revitalization.”
Contacted by The Suburban the day after the council meeting, Mayor Alan DeSousa said the current developer has been discussing the project with the borough and nearby residents, including what turned out to be a five-hour meeting held last month at the borough hall.
“There was a broad consensus at the meeting in terms of exchanging information, but also a recognition by all people that the redevelopment of Place Vertu was important in a context where the commercial climate is quite fragile,” the Mayor explained.
DeSousa added that in light of the consensus, “council met on Aug. 4 and, taking into account the comments from residents and work that had been done with the city, gave the green light to our staff to advance the file of Place Vertu with regard to the three main issues.”
Those include “discussion and negotiations of a developmental accord that eventually would come back to council with regard to infrastuctures, to initiate proceedings with regard to any regulatory requirements and, thirdly, at the appropriate time, the project would be submitted to the urban planning committee for their comments and analysis.”
(We contacted Groupe Jadco a few months ago, and were informed they would contact us when they were ready to discuss the redevelopment.)
According to the city document, redevelopment plans include the creation of a new neighbourhood on the site, with the mall on one side of the site having a new facade, and commercial and residential buildings on the other side. The transformation of the site is expected to involve a $100 million investment.
Other aspects of the plan:
• Buildings of between seven and 14 storeys, containing a total of 2,800 housing units. There will be a seniors residence, and 20 percent of units dedicated to social housing with the rest being regular rental housing.
• A network of streets, and areas that would include green spaces and terraces for potential restaurants and cafés.
• New commercial offerings will include a daycare and a medical clinic, “while entertainment-related uses will be integrated into the shopping mall.”
• The stores that will remain in the mall include Sports Experts, Winners, Adonis, Canadian Tire and some others, but “non-essential fashion components” will be eliminated.
• “The existing parking garage in front of the Adonis grocery store will be demolished, and a new facade will be created for this store.”
• The remade mall will be 80,800 square metres, including 16,000 square metres for meeting spaces and a medical clinic, 9,500 square metres for the already existing office space in the mall’s tower, 44,500 square metres for traditional retail and 10,800 square metres of mixed retail.
• Regarding greenspace, there will be a 3,850 m² park area “extending from Parc de la Bourbonnière near Cavendish Boulevard; and a 6,600 m² park area near Beaulac, bordering Côte Vertu.”
• A multi-storey parking garage that will include a green roof, part of which could accommodate borough activities.
• Also, a “large square will be carved out of the existing shopping centre to create a space for events and create a lively atmosphere. Other smaller squares will create more intimate spaces for restaurant terraces, for example. Parking, for the residential portion, will be mostly underground.”
• The amount of parking spaces will be reduced for commerces.
DeSousa says “the recognition is that there’s a symbiotic relationship between the residential and commercial, the commercial will continue to flourish for the St. Laurent area in terms of attractivity for food and stores, and the residential will contribute to that.”