To ease Montreal’s housing crisis and accelerate housing development, city mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada is fulfilling a campaign promise to loosen the rules for developers.
In a press conference this past Friday, mayor Martinez Ferrada presented a map of municipal land available for new housing projects. A total of 80 municipal plots have been identified as suitable for housing development. Of these, approximately 40 plots can be used immediately, including 13 newly added to the interactive map.
In addition, nearly 40 more plots are planned for development in the longer term and will be listed separately.
“We said it many times during the campaign and since we took office: the city must be a true partner for community organizations and developers who want to build housing in Montreal,” said Soraya Martinez Ferrada at the press conference.
Martinez Ferrada is also eliminating her predecessor Valerie Plante’s policy that required developers to devote a portion of their project to affordable, social housing or family housing — or pay a financial penalty.
Critics of the rule said the policy didn’t really work and often motivated developers to build in the suburbs.
By loosening the rules, the current administration hopes this will allow developers and community organizations to better plan their projects and collaborate more effectively with the city to address the housing crisis.
$83 million to accelerate housing projects
To support the rapid development of social and affordable housing projects on these sites, the city is also making $83 million in financial assistance available to developers and partners.
That means $30 million to make municipal land available at a reduced cost, and $3 million for a partnership with the Fonds Plancher, which offers pre-development loans of up to $250,000 per project to accelerate the development of off-market projects on these sites.
Another $50 million will be allocated to prepare municipal land, including conducting studies and carrying out the demolition work necessary for development.
The mayor also stated that she wants to establish a working group composed of representatives from the private and non-profit sectors.
Municipal land to build more housing
The mayor announced that several municipal buildings can also be sold under favourable conditions to allow for the rapid development of social and affordable housing. Eligible organizations, including housing cooperatives and non-profit housing organizations, will have to commit to developing off market housing projects, thus guaranteeing sustainable affordability for all Montrealers.
“It’s not right that the city has land sitting idle while we’re facing a housing crisis,” said Martinez Ferrada. “The list of land we’re returning today will help all these people build housing more quickly without breaking the bank. It was very important to me that we fulfill this campaign promise, which will ensure that Montrealers can find an affordable apartment, a house, a home where they can build their lives.”
“In the midst of this affordability crisis, we must accelerate housing development,” added Caroline Braun, the city’s executive committee member responsible for housing. “By sharing all information about city-owned land, we are giving cooperatives and non-profit organizations the tools to act more quickly. Montreal needs more affordable, off-market, social, and low-cost housing so that it remains protected from speculation and accessible to Montrealers in the long term.”
