Montreal readies to turn east-end mall into densified neighbourhood with green space

Montreal's city council has approved a major redevelopment project for Place Versailles, a 62-year-old indoor shopping mall in the east end.

The $2.2 billion project is expected to take up to 25 years to complete, eventually replacing the mall and parking lot with a school, a hotel, two 25-storey towers and thousands of housing units.

In total, there will be about 6,000 apartments on site, including 1,000 social housing units.

While the city council has given the project the green light, some neighbours are worried about its impact on the area. For example, some say the Radisson Metro station, located steps away from Place Versailles, is already packed.

"It's one of the busiest stations," said resident Daniel Deschamps. "Adding 6,000 people, of which 20 per cent will take the Metro, it's going to be hard."

There have also been concerns about the height of the buildings — much higher than the current two storeys.

In response, the city has indicated that the building heights along the residential streets of Pierre Corneille and du Trianon will be adjusted to eight and six floors, respectively. Additionally, one of the planned 25-storey buildings will be set back further from existing homes. 

However, a concern among some residents is the potential loss of access to the small businesses currently operating within the mall.

"I guess it will be beneficial for some people, but I like the Place Versailles the way it is," said Yanis Mameri, who lives near the indoor mall — the first of its kind in the city.

Guy Barbier, also a resident, said neighbours can easily walk to the mall, accessing the supermarket and all the stores.

But the mayor of the Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough remains confident. Pierre Lessard-Blais recently told Radio-Canada that he thinks "in 25 years, we will pass by here and say that it was a good move."

The plan is to gradually redevelop the shopping mall and parking lot over a series of phases. The owners of Place Versailles declined to comment Tuesday. The project is slated to start next year, but the city and developer have said there will be a slow transition, allowing shopping to continue.

Ensemble Montréal's Julien Hénault-Ratelle, a city councillor in Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, offered qualified support for the Place Versailles redevelopment project during Monday night's city council meeting, just before the project was approved.

"While there are positive elements in this redevelopment, numerous recommendations stemming from citizen consultations have been disregarded, notably concerning building heights and the preservation of local commerce," Hénault-Ratelle said.