A massive former convent in the heart of Montreal's fashionable Plateau borough might finally be converted to housing.
The provincial government, through its Quebec Infrastructure Corporation (SQI), has begun fielding proposals for the property at 3725 Rue Saint-Denis that the province purchased in 1979 and used for its hospital system until 2015. It has sat empty since that time.
The seven stone structures at the complex were first inhabited by the Sisters of Charity in the 1880s. The property is in a densely populated area near the Sherbrooke metro station and could conceivably be equipped with a residential tower of unlimited height, according to Simon Boyer of Landerz, the broker tasked with overseeing the process.
If a tower is built at the site, it would likely require the demolition of some of the seven existing buildings.
“There is no maximum or minimum in terms of height,” Boyer said in an interview with CoStar News. “There are other large towers near the site, but it will need to be a project that goes together with the area.”
The SQI will field bids until Jan. 30, and Boyer said he expects many offers to emerge, as there is “a lot of interest” and that he has “no doubt that the site will sell.”
Montreal has failed in other efforts to spearhead the development of similar sites, including the Voyageur block and the former Blue Bonnets racetrack.
The effort to sell the former convent could be more successful due to tweaks in the provincial law that now permit municipal authorities to avert local referendums that have sidelined many other proposed projects. The city of Montreal, meanwhile, has softened the requirements of its 20-20-20 bylaw that forces developers to incorporate social, affordable and family housing in new projects.
The Quebec Infrastructure Corporation did not immediately return email and phone messages asking for further information on the project.