93 new lots targeted by the City for social housing
The lots that would be subject to the right of first refusal are located in seven boroughs of Montreal.
The City of Montreal has targeted 93 new lots scattered across the territory to subject them to its right of first refusal. In the event of a sale, the municipal administration could buy these buildings in priority over any other buyer. The acquisition of these lots would be intended for the development of social housing and residential projects.
The City thus hopes to increase the housing supply in boroughs that would be particularly hard hit by the pressures of the real estate market, namely: Anjou, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Côtes-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Lasalle, Rivière- des-Prairies-Pointes-aux-Trembles, Saint-Léonard and Verdun.
For the head of housing, real estate strategy and legal affairs in Montreal, Benoit Dorais, this announcement demonstrates the efforts of the City to “improve the affordability of the metropolis, to develop inclusive and sustainable living environments”.
While commending the proactivity of the City of Montreal in responding in part to the “cries in terms of housing, the Mayor of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre Dame-de-Grâce, Gracia Kasoki Katahwa, reiterates that the other levels of government have a role to play, however, “so that projects see the light of day on these lands. ”.
“We must act to offer decent rent to pl us vulnerable,” she said in a statement.
This news comes three days after an investigation by the Journal de Montréal revealed that less than 4,300 of the 13,000 social and affordable housing units the City claimed to have developed had actually been built.
