Montreal real estate: Royalmount to launch its own public consultation!
06 May 2019
The process aims to seek input from stakeholders and citizens on how to address the impact of the megaproject on the surrounding area.
It’s been called an albatross and a white elephant. On Monday, the developer behind the the controversial Royalmount megamall complex in the Town of Mount Royal announced he had something to say back: We are listening.
Carbonleo president and CEO Andrew Lutfy promised Royalmount would launch a new public participation program to seek input from stakeholders and citizens on how to address concerns around transportation and other impacts of the project on surrounding areas.
The consultations will be held over the coming months and will include both in-person events and an option to weigh in online.
In an interview on Friday, Lutfy admitted the company has done a “weak to terrible” job communicating with Montrealers to sell its vision of the 4-million-square-foot project, which would include shopping, restaurants, hotels, offices, theatres, a cinema, a waterpark, and potentially thousands of new housing units.
In January, a Montreal agglomeration committee recommended that Carbonleo “take a time out” to consider how to reconfigure the megaproject to address concerns around traffic and potentially negative impacts on adjacent businesses.
Lutfy said he didn’t expect to get such an earful from pundits, politicians and special interest groups about the project, but said he’s taking it as a positive sign that the community is engaged and invested.
“We’ve sat back and listened to everyone, and sometimes it’s not so fun to listen to, but it’s important to listen and process and appreciate. It’ll be hard for us to have a successful project if Montrealers aren’t happy,” he said.
Royalmount is one of seven condo projects planned in the area, which could add as many as 20,000 doors near the Décarie Expressway.
Depending on who’s looking into the crystal ball, the forecasted traffic impacts range from negligible (assuming many people will travel by the adjacent métro or nearby REM station) to disastrous (adding up to a half hour to the commute by some reckonings).
A key topic for discussion during the consultation will be the proposed addition of condo towers with 350 to 400 units each, which could add up to 6,000 housing units to the project.
According to Lutfy, the addition of a residential component will help address some of the issues around mobility and transportation, because those residents won’t need to drive to access shops and services on site, and will have easy access to the métro via a pedestrian bridge over the Décarie Expressway from the mall to the de la Savane station.
Carbonleo has also proposed creating a new, free, electric shuttle, which would link Royalmount to the Mont-Royal REM station.
“This site is a super-TOD (transit-oriented development.) This would be the mother of all TODs,” Lutfy said. “Our stop is the second-least utilized, so you’re taking a grossly under-utilized station and giving it purpose, and you’re connecting it right into the central business district.”
Construction of the first phase is planned to begin in the second quarter of this year, with a target completion date of 2022. However, Lutfy noted this first phase represents only 15 per cent of the total project.
By Carbonleo’s estimate, the completed project (including the proposed residential addition) has the potential to generate more than $162 million annually in municipal taxes.
During construction, the project is projected to create about 90,000 full-time jobs, as well as potentially over 20,000 permanent jobs after construction crews have done their work.
“There’s a lot more development still ahead and there’s an incredible opportunity for Montrealers to weigh in. We want to work with them and find some common ground,” Lutfy said.
