Projet Montréal will take the opportunity of the full redevelopment of the Namur-Hippodrome sector to create a first carbon-neutral neighborhood in Montréal, which will be home to thousands of social and affordable housing units over the long term, and which will benefit from significant greening as well as access to active and public transportation, thanks to the connection of Cavendish Boulevard and the maximization of pedestrian and cycling links between the Namur metro station and the new eco-neighborhood.
Projet Montréal hopes to begin development of the land as early as 2023.
The leader of Projet Montréal, Valérie Plante, and the candidate for mayor of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Gracia Kasoki Katahwa, unveiled the details of the huge project that will transform the Namur-Hippodrome sector in the long term.
- When completed, the exemplary, comprehensive and carbon-neutral new neighbourhood will be home to 7,500 housing units, including a minimum of 2,000 social housing units and 2,000 affordable housing units, which will remain so for at least 40 years;
- This living environment will also include shops, services, and a huge public green space in the heart of the former racetrack site;
- Numerous sustainable mobility options, including an autonomous shuttle, will be offered and will contribute to facilitating carbon-neutral travel within the racetrack site, to Decarie Boulevard and to Namur Station;
- The new neighbourhood will also be served by Cavendish Boulevard, which will be connected and become an urban boulevard focused on sustainable mobility. This new mobility axis will include a public transit corridor, a bicycle path and wide sidewalks. It will also make an important place for greening and biodiversity;
- Finally, the widening of des Jockeys and Jean-Talon streets, in the Namur station area, will create a new public space above the highway, which will be greened and will ensure a safe and pleasant passage to the metro.
Quotes
"The Namur-Hippodrome sector offers us a unique opportunity to create a new neighbourhood from scratch, one that will meet the needs of the population, be in line with the ecological transition and become a model for a carbon neutral neighbourhood. Over the past four years, we have set the stage to make this huge project a success. Within the first few years of our second mandate, we will launch the construction of 7,500 housing units, including at least 4,000 social and affordable units." - Valérie Plante, leader of Projet Montréal
"Maximizing pedestrian and bicycle links between the Namur metro station and the new eco-neighbourhood will repair an urban scar and improve the quality of life in the Namur metro area. The expressways will give way to green spaces that the population will be able to make their own. The objective is also to improve the conditions of active mobility in the vicinity of the Namur metro, to open up the sector south of the tracks and to improve the mobility hub." - Gracia Kasoki Katahwa, aspiring mayor of the borough of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
