Montreal City Weblog

Kate 18:53 on 2019-02-13 Permalink Reply  

• Tim S. 20:16 on 2019-02-13 Permalink

  Oh boy. I didn’t realize that this project involved Stephen Bronfman, chief Liberal fundraiser and friend of Justin Trudeau, negotiating to buy the land from the federal government. This is getting done, isn’t it?

• steph 20:31 on 2019-02-13 Permalink

  This is gonna turn into another Quebec City Videotron center without the NHL team.

• Steve Q 01:43 on 2019-02-14 Permalink

  Peel Basin is the best place for a baseball stadium along with residential and commercial development around the stadium. I’m glad the city will go along with that. For the moment, the area is a no go zone. Glad to see someone ready to invest in this dead area.

• Kate 08:00 on 2019-02-14 Permalink

  Steve Q, what on earth do you mean by a no go zone? People walk through there all the time in summer, going to and from the canal park; cyclists use a path through there to move between the canal bike path and the islands; the old pumping station is used by a blacksmith who gives courses.

  The phrase “no go zone” implies crime or danger. The area is a bit stark but there’s no danger there at all unless you fall into the canal.

• Blork 11:22 on 2019-02-14 Permalink

  I personally don’t give AF about any baseball stadium, but Steve Q is somewhat correct about it being a dead zone. Kate, we’re talking about the area on the SOUTH side of the Peel Basin, where Oak Street terminates. I really doubt there are any pedestrians passing through there. The bicycle path just skirts the very edge of that zone (along the canal).

  https://goo.gl/maps/ypFJHCHydDL2

• qatzelok 11:28 on 2019-02-14 Permalink

  I wonder if Trudeau will offer “you can have your stadium, Mr. Bronfman, if my other sponsors get to build Canada East pipeline.” At least a pipeline would be used for what it’s built for.

• Kevin 11:35 on 2019-02-14 Permalink

  Hey folks, we’ve got this great investment idea. The average fan is 57 years old, dislikes public transit, and lives in the suburbs. We’re going to need hundreds of millions of dollars to construct a building that will be used maybe 80 days of the year if we actually get a team
  We know this sport failed abysmally the last time it was here, with most years among the lowest attendance in the league. And we know the audience has been steadily shrinking for the past decade and last year’s audience, in person and on TV combined, was the smallest in 15 years.
  And the games take a long time too.

  Who wants in?

• qatzelok 13:38 on 2019-02-14 Permalink

  *photo of Stephen Bronfman pitching softballs to Algerian and Senegalese youth in Jarry Park*

• mare 13:46 on 2019-02-14 Permalink

  Also, maybe the reason the area hasn’t been developed yet is that the federal landowners (is it all federal land?) already ‘earmarked’ the area for a baseball stadium, Cirque de Soleil theatre, or something else big-ish.

• Morgan 14:05 on 2019-02-14 Permalink

  @Kate The proposed stadium site is south of Wellington, across the street from Costco near the Victoria bridge (probably about 10 minute walk from the bassin peel area you’re thinking of). It’s currently warehouses and a Loto-Quebec office but is very coveted land because it’s big and next to Griffintown. Devimco has also made noises about building a monster $3 billion project there, so it will be interesting to see who “wins.” It’s currently zoned commercial and local officials have said they want to keep it that way (but who knows if that’ll change once enough money is flashed in front of them.)

  I live near there, so I’ve taken an interest in what happens to it.

  As I stated on an earlier post, I’d favor a baseball stadium IF it can also be used for other stuff (concerts, local sports, winter activities) and serves as the anchor for a cool and well-planned neighborhood around it. From what I understand, developers don’t plan to plunk a stadium in the middle of nowhere. I believe they also want to develop restaurants/hotels/businesses/maybe condos around it as a way to make the whole thing financially viable.

  @mare it’s mostly federal land but there are a couple parcels that are privately owned, I believe. Montreal has put a reserve on it, meaning it gets to match any offer that comes along.

• Kate 16:11 on 2019-02-14 Permalink

  Blork, Steve Q said a no go zone. That’s defined here as “an area in a town barricaded off to civil authorities by a force such as a paramilitary, or an area barred to certain individuals or groups. The term has also been used to refer to areas undergoing insurgency where ruling authorities have lost control and are unable to enforce sovereignty, but also to areas that have a reputation for violence and crime which makes people frightened to go there.”

  That’s bullshit. There’s nothing even remotely approximating this in Montreal and certainly not down by Peel Basin.

• Jay 10:55 on 2019-02-15 Permalink

  @Kate, with all due respect, I think Steve Q was not implying the future area considered for a baseball stadium is occupied by a paramilitary or barred off from the general public. I’m sure he just intended to say, there’s nothing worth going down there now for and it’s pretty much a dead area, which it is.

  Although polarizing (as many issues of this nature can be) I’ve heard a huge amount of support and interest in the revival of baseball in Montreal. Perhaps not from this crowd, but there is to me a majority of people who support it’s return, and the un-arguable benefits which it would bring economically and towards creating an area to revive a “dead-zone”.

• Chris 15:41 on 2019-02-15 Permalink

  Jay, “un-arguable benefits”? They are very arguable. ex: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcwJt4bcnXs

• Jay 19:53 on 2019-02-15 Permalink

  Chris, taken in context with the rest of the sentence “the un-arguable benefits which it would bring economically and towards creating an area to revive a ‘dead-zone’.”, i’ll stand by my comment. It’s hard to argue that the area they are looking at is better for the city as-is, instead of being re-developed and turned into a mixed-use area as @morgan mentioned including things such as restaurants, hotels, businesses, condos.

  Re: your video link…not really the same ballpark (hehe)…they’re talking about the satanic duo of Sampson/Loria who aided to destroy baseball in Montreal by leveraging the team to get a team in Florida, and then went on to build a new stadium in Miami, totally publically funded btw, and then proceed to destroy their ball club as well.

  From what i’ve heard, the potential ownership group for a team in Montreal has repeatedly said they are not interested in using Public money. In fact, sounds like they’ve turned away investors, as they have what they need for capital.

  I don’t see why, given the economic benefits and spin-offs that come with a major league team, all without the use of public finances, this would be such an un-desirable thing to happen in to the city.

  Just my 2 cents