Little progress for the affordable housing project at the old racetrack

The site of the old Montreal racetrack

The call for tenders launched by the City of Montreal in October 2022 with the aim of building 60% of affordable condos on a plot of the old racetrack has still not generated offers from the private sector, reveals La Presse. In total, the City of Montreal wants to build 6,000 housing units on the former grounds of the racecourse, and has been doing so for a decade.

The call for tenders was open to all those who wished to acquire the land of 4208 square meters for the minimum sum of $10 million. In return, the buyer agrees to ensure the construction of condominium housing, 60% of which must qualify as affordable housing for 30 years.

Note that another call for tenders had was launched on August 22, 2022. It was intended exclusively for non-profit organizations for the construction of 200 100% affordable housing units. No results have yet been revealed.

Several citizens have demonstrated in recent months to accelerate the construction of social and affordable housing on the grounds of the former racetrack, while the City of Montreal has all the levers in this sector to build around 6,000 housing units. These would rebalance the market for the benefit of Montrealers looking for a roof at a reasonable cost.