Summary#
Montréal city council unanimously adopted its position on transferring a vacant city-owned lot to Communia for a residential project. It also repealed an earlier council resolution about the lot. City staff say the goal is to add long-term affordable housing in Quartier Namur-Hippodrome. The agglomeration council makes the final decision at a later meeting.
- The proposed transfer is for a 4,777.7 m² lot in the southeast part of the former Blue Bonnets racetrack site, in the Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough. Communia would receive it without payment.
- The project must include at least 225 homes, mainly for independent seniors and households with low or modest incomes. At least 20% must be family homes with three or more bedrooms.
- The city authorized Communia to start construction before the transfer deed is signed. The deed may be signed only if Communia proves it has the required financing and the project meets the promise’s conditions.
- Communia must complete construction of at least one building within five years after the deed is signed. It must pay all costs to clean up the land. The city must pay to decommission existing pipes beneath it.
- The lot will be closed and removed from the public domain. The city will have a right of first refusal for 25 years after the transfer.
What it means for you#
- People seeking housing: The project must provide at least 225 homes. For those homes, rents must follow the maximums in the Québec Affordable Housing Program (PHAQ) rent grid. Rents for any additional homes should not exceed 150% of that grid. Income controls are required to reserve homes for low- or modest-income households or people with particular needs. The decision does not create an application process or give anyone an immediate right to a home.
- Communia: It may start construction before the transfer deed, but must meet the promise’s conditions, obtain financing to the city’s satisfaction, and take the property without legal or conventional warranty. It assumes the risks of acquiring it.
- City and taxpayers: The city gives up the land without payment and must pay for the pipe work. The decision does not give a cost estimate for that work.
Money#
The land is transferred without payment; the decision also authorizes a $877,488 depreciation expense from the city department’s operating budget.
- City staff estimated the land’s market value at $19,660,000 as of May 22, 2025. They describe the no-payment transfer as a theoretical city contribution toward off-market housing.
- Staff say the $877,488 depreciation expense was already recorded in 2025.
- Communia must pay for land rehabilitation. The city’s cost to decommission the pipes is not stated.
What is unclear#
- The materials do not give the project’s full financing plan or the amount of funding Communia has secured. No publicly available information.
- The exact rent amounts depend on the PHAQ grid; they are not included in the materials.
- The summary describes the project as needing to be “exemplary,” but does not define that term. The full promise’s detailed terms are not provided here.
Case for#
- City staff say the transfer would help add off-market housing in a strategic development area and support the city’s housing and inclusion goals.
- The promise sets specific requirements: at least 225 homes, affordability for at least 25 years, family-sized units, universal accessibility, and measures for carbon neutrality and climate adaptation.
- Communia would bear the land rehabilitation costs, and the transfer is conditional on adequate financing and compliance with the promise.
Case against#
- The city would transfer land estimated by staff to be worth $19,660,000 without payment. The materials do not compare this approach with other ways to support the project.
- The city would still pay to decommission pipes, with no cost estimate provided.
- Communia takes the property without a warranty and at its own risk. If the project faces problems, the materials do not explain what happens to the land or any work already started.