“I’m happy to see that the site teams are mobilized and that the work is going well so that this structuring project can finally materialize,” said Mayor of Laval Stéphane Boyer in a press release published yesterday.

Boyer specifies that “in a little over two years, Laval will have high-level and unique facilities on the north shore that will serve both the needs of the community and the ambitions of the aquatic environment”.

If everything goes as planned, that infrastructure, which stands on the land north of the Cosmodome, could be inaugurated at the end of 2024.

$125M

Only bidder in the running, Quebec’s giant Pomerleau was awarded the design-build contract last winter for $108.4 million.

Taking into account the sums already invested in 2018, so before putting on hold the project, the bill increases to $125 million.

It will be remembered that on this date, four years ago, the City of Laval cancelled the call for tenders due to bids exceeding by almost 50 per cent the construction costs, then estimated at $61 million.

At the time, the municipal administration attributed this cost overrun to an overheated construction market. Then, there was the labor shortage that hit the industry, and a significant rise in the cost of raw materials, contributing to further increase the bill.

For the construction of that equipment, Laval has already received $20 million, funded equally by the two higher levels of government. Quebec and Ottawa made the announcement in June 2021.

Facilities

The aquatic complex, which keeps its initial design, will include:

• a recreational pool with 3 swimming lanes;
• a beach entrance and a large slide;
• a 52m × 25m pool with a bridge and a removable floor;
• a diving pool with 1m, 3m, 5m and 7.5m springboards and a 10m tower;
• a multifunctional training room;
• a fitness room;
• multipurpose rooms;
• fixed stands with 500 seats.

The capacity will be 875 bathers and 500 spectators, the aquatic complex being built to host provincial and national competitions.

translated by Alec Brideau

L’article Aquatic Complex: Construction Resumes Four Years Later est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.

In a recent meeting, the municipal council adopted two resolutions in the hope of concretizing the project to set up a Cité du cinema on the land located in the south-west axis of avenue Marcel-Villeneuve and rue de l’Harmonie, in Saint-François.

Zoning and Promise to Purchase

After starting the rezoning change process in order to accommodate “a world-class cinema complex”, the elected officials present at the meeting approved by 11 votes to two the sale of two municipal lands to promoter and Laval resident Michel Trudel, for the sum of 32.1 million dollars.

In fact, the promise of purchase is conditional on obtaining a zoning change. Right now, 60 per cent of the 2.2 million square feet aimed by this request for modification of authorized uses are zoned residential. The remaining 40 per cent is already destined for industrial development.

Divergences

Resolutions were not unanimous at the municipal council table, and within municipal services.

If the Mouvement lavallois had the support of Action Laval, whose municipal councillor Isabelle Piché is the elected representative of Saint-François, it couldn’t count on the support of the two councillors from the second opposition group.

Recognizing this project as “fantastic from an economic point of view”, the interim leader of Parti Laval, Claude Larochelle, said he didn’t have all the necessary information to be able to vote. His request to postpone some points to a future session was defeated. In general, Larochelle wanted to make sure this was “the best site” available in Laval.

Opportunity

Mayor of Laval Stéphane Boyer mostly described it as an “opportunity” to be seized.

“A serious and credible promoter is proposing an interesting project […] that would develop a whole new industry in Laval,” Boyer said. “It would have a low environmental impact, and enormous economic consequences, while creating a lot of jobs in the eastern sector of Laval.”

The man behind this $200 million investment project is Trudel, co-founder of MELS studios, which he directed for more than three decades in Montreal. Working in the film industry for 40 years, we owe him the filming of several Hollywood mega-productions in the metropolitan area.

In terms of jobs, Boyer mentioned “200 to 500 employees”, as well as a training centre that would accommodate “up to 300 students”. In addition to boosting the local economy, that clientele would help accelerate the development of eastern Laval, including public transport’s services.

“It’s the only option in Laval” Boyer insisted when discussing the location. “If it’s not there, the project won’t be realized.”

Cinematographic Complex

The Cité du Cinéma would be built on an area equivalent to some 30 soccer fields.

In addition to the seven shooting studios housed in the cinematographic complex, there would be production offices, a warehouse for set decorations, administrative offices, a film school, as well as costume making, set production and mechanical transformation-animation workshops.

To put things into perspective, these facilities would double the total area currently available with the MELS 2 and MELS 3 studios in the Technoparc de Montréal.

The Cité du cinema that Trudel plans to build in Laval would increase filming capacity in Quebec by 40 to 50 per cent, the promoter said.

translated by Alec Brideau

L’article Laval Says Yes to the Establishment of a Cité du Cinéma est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.

Partner with MONTONI and the Fonds immobilier de solidarité FTQ in this mega development project right in the centre of downtown, Groupe Sélection has delivered the first of the two residential towers on June 1. The second tower will follow this July. They can accommodate more than 700 rental condos.

Commercial offer

In May, the consortium unveiled 11 new commercial agreements, bringing to 16 the number of banners that will partially occupy the ground floor of a two-storey basilica.

Those are the Sésame restaurants, bars and cafes, La Belle et la Bœuf, Olivia’s Authentic Chicken, Milestone, Souvlaki Bar, Starbucks, Zoe Dessert & Presotea St-Mathieu, as well as an Aisle 24 grocery store, the Béa et Lunetterie Parade Institute.

Those businesses are joining the French chain Ange Boulangerie, Kababgy’s lebanese cuisine banner, Benny&Co and Poulet Rouge, announced last year.

There would be only five commercial premises left to rent, explains David Paulozza, vice president of planning and development at MONTONI and consortium’s spokesperson. He specifies that he first stores will open this summer.

As for the second floor of the basilica, which will notably house the Courtyard hotel by Marriott International, there will mainly be office spaces and a possible daycare centre, according to the projected plans.

Office Tower

Furthermore, we’re planning to deliver the 16-storey office tower in the fall. The tower is located at the corner of Jacques-Tétreault and Lucien-Paiement streets, and is 335,000 square feet of rental space.

However, if the pandemic doesn’t seem to have affected commercial’s and residential’s rentals pace that much, the same can’t be said for leases of office space, while in the midst of a health crisis, companies were forced to turn to teleworking.

That being said, Paulozza is “confident” to make up for lost time, saying that negotiations are going well with many interested tenants.

“Right now, companies are looking for ways to bring employees back to the office,” Paulozza said while pointing out at the “avant-garde design and open spaces” of offices, but also the “social experience” offered by Espace Montmorency through its “local services”. “In a labor shortage context, it’s easier to retain its employees and to hire others by offering them a stimulating work environment.”

On the other hand, the eighth floor of that tower, whose terraces overlook the inner courtyard of the complex, has been completely redesigned in favor of a huge space dedicated to collaborative work with, in bonus, meeting rooms made available to tenants. That floor is connected to the hotel thanks to the walkway overlooking the courtyard that can be seen on the architectural renders that have been circulating for the past five years.

Hotel in December

Announced last February, the Courtyard hotel should open its doors next December.

Let’s remember that the establishment, built for $45 million, will have 188 rooms spread over the 10 floors of the tower located in front of the Place Bell entrance, at the corner of Lucien-Paiement and Claude-Gagné streets.

Connected to the metro station, the hotel will have an underground parking lot with 1,500 spaces to serve all residents, workers, customers and visitors of Espace Montmorency.

At last, without the pandemic, the unbridled rise in the cost of raw materials and the labor shortage, the multifunctional complex will be ready on time and with the planned $450 million budget when work began in the spring of 2019, Paulozza says.

translated by Alec Brideau

L’article Espace Montmorency is Welcoming its First Tenants est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.