63-storey tower to rise on St-Jacques
The city has approved the construction of a 63-storey tower, 200 meters high, at St‑Jacques and Mansfield.
I’m fascinated by the economic fact that, no matter how many condo towers are built, we will still have a shortage of residential housing. Montreal hasn’t been experiencing a net growth of residents, so who are all these people moving into these tiny, tiny condos?
DeWolf 12:37 on 2021-04-24 Permalink
Montreal *has* been experiencing net growth. All those stories of people moving to the suburbs were misleading because they gave the impression that Montreal’s population was in decline, but the loss of those residents was still offset by interprovincial migration, natural growth and the few immigrants that were able to come in despite border restrictions.
https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/communique/population-growth-slowed-sharply-in-montreal-in-2019-2020-while-it-accelerated-in-several-other-quebec-regions
Also, despite all the talk of condos, a large part of new construction up is rental, which is the case with 900 St-Jacques as well as several other large towers currently going up.
Kate 13:13 on 2021-04-24 Permalink
I wasn’t really tackling whether these spaces were condos (sold) or apartments (rented) – either way, in theory they’re adding living spaces to the city, but no matter how many towers go up, the problem remains.
steph 18:29 on 2021-04-24 Permalink
Everyone is feeling the covid cabin fever effect. Being locked up with the same people can grind at your spirits. As some people are looking for bigger places, others are opting to live on their own instead.
Max 19:03 on 2021-04-24 Permalink
Funny that they’re only announcing the project now. Preliminary work has been under way for months per this web site:
https://forum.agoramtl.com/t/900-saint-jacques-62-etages/193
I imagine it’ll be a lot of Chinese investors scooping these up. That seems to be the trend with the recent buildings on Rene-Levesque and around the Tour des Canadiens.
denpanosekai 19:50 on 2021-04-24 Permalink
Amazing project for this lot.
Phil M 06:44 on 2021-04-25 Permalink
Imagine all you want, Max, but there won’t be any “Chinese investors scooping these up.” This is a Canvar project, so it’s almost certainly hotel on the lower floors, and rental apartments on the higher floors, as are all their downtown buildings so far. Their projects go up quickly because they don’t have to wait to pre-sell the condos before beginning construction.
At 63 floors, this appears to be their tallest building yet – nearly double the height of their next tallest building, as far as I’m aware. In terms of adding living space, taller is the only way to go. And yet we have limits on allowed heights, because of the mountain. Now, whether that’s good or bad is not for me to say, but are we trying to increase living space, or not?
The Plateau is off limits to new construction, and certainly no high-rises are allowed, while its sacred borders must never be crossed by the ghastly commuters from the suburbs. Meanwhile, developers are maligned for trying to make a profit, but why else would they invest in new buildings if they don’t see a way to make money from the venture? And while I have no love for greedy landlords, I find it amusing that some people think we live in some magical land where rent isn’t based on the laws of supply and demand.
Montreal is by no means immune to NIMBYism, either. “Oh no, an elevated train on Rene-Levesque!” Well do you want more mass transit, or not? “But they’re just going to route the lines to the developers new developments!” Didn’t you just say we need more living space?
So which is it? Build more and complain there still isn’t enough, or build nothing at all? Is it going to be perfect? No, but some people are proposing solutions, and some are not.