2024-01-14 19:14:32
The Royalmount project will finally become a reality next summer. The Carbonleo firm, which is the developer, plans to inaugurate the first phase of the complex at the corner of Décarie and 40 highways, in Mount Royal in mid-August. A green space, a cinema, around a hundred retail stores and around sixty restaurants will then be accessible.
Under a huge glass roof, the future luxury goods aisle will house brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Tiffany & Co and Saint Laurent. Carbonleo had announced the arrival of these big names in luxury consumption in fall 2022.
This demonstrates the quality of the project and its ability to respond to a very present demand for this type of experience from the Quebec market, declared the Quebec firm.
The Royalmount project was announced in 2015, and its cost was estimated at nearly $10 billion. The commercial phase, which began construction in 2019 and cost more than $1 billion, is the first to be completed.
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An illustration of the commercial sector of the Royalmount project. (Archive photo)
Photo: Courtesy: promoter
Fears
The imminent opening of this commercial zone arouses fears in the Association of Commercial Development Companies of Montreal (ASDCM).
Given the current economic context and the difficult conditions for independent businesses, we are quite concerned about the project, indicated the general director of the Association, Sébastien Ridoin. Our priority is really to consolidate the economic vitality of the city center and the commercial arteries close to the Royalmount sector.
But according to Carbonleo’s executive vice-president, Claude Marcotte, the Royalmount project will not have the expected negative effect.
We have this tendency in Quebec to always be afraid when there is something new. We have 50% of brands that are not currently on the market in Montreal, so we will compensate for commercial leakage to the South Shore and the North Shore, but also to Toronto, Paris, New York, etc.
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Claude Marcotte, executive vice-president of Carbonleo, on the Royalmount site.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Benoît Chapdelaine
Facilitate access
A footbridge will connect the Royalmount to the De la Savane metro station, above the Décarie highway, and 2,000 underground parking spaces will be available on the site.
Carbonleo also invested $20 million to add two lanes to Chemin de la Côte-de-Liesse to facilitate access by car.
We decided not to wait for the authorities to do it, because we found it important, said Mr. Marcotte. Circulation is like a glass full of water: when you add a drop, it can just overflow. So we wanted to provide flexibility by making these interventions.
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The covered pedestrian and cyclist bridge will lead to the De la Savane metro station.
Photo: Courtesy Carbonleo
The residential question
In the next phases of the project, Carbonleo wants to build thousands of homes on the site. The Town of Mount Royal, however, refuses to modify the zoning, among other things so as not to harm industrial activities.
Since the beginning of our mandate, we have clarified our position regarding the addition of a residential component to the Royalmount commercial project and have maintained that there would be no change to the current zoning which does not allow the addition of a residential component to the existing commercial project, supported the mayor of Mount Royal, Peter J. Malouf.
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The opening of the commercial phase of the Royalmount project is scheduled for August 2024.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Benoît Chapdelaine
Despite the support of Valérie Plante’s administration for the residential phases, the future of the project depends largely on local authorities.
For the long-term benefit of the project and to enable it to meet significant housing needs, we encouraged the integration of residential units. This is an orientation that was communicated to Ville Mont-Royal which has full autonomy in the supervision of this project as well as for the zoning rules.
Carbonleo, which plans to pay $29 million in municipal taxes this year, does not intend to integrate social housing into the Royalmount project.
The opening of an aquarium at the end of 2025 and office towers constitute the next stages of the project. The idea of a performance hall was abandoned after discussions with the City of Montreal.
Carbonleo is also the developer of the Quartier DIX30 shopping complex in Brossard. He is also behind the project to revitalize the Four Seasons hotel in downtown Montreal.
– According to a report by Benoît Chapdelaine
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