Montreal’s Hippodrome site: some land to be sold to community groups for affordable housing project

Montreal’s Hippodrome site will be transformed into an eco-neighborhood and the city is calling on community groups to put their best proposals forward to buy some of the land to help build affordable housing on the site.

The Plante administration announced Monday that the first project will be a 100 pre cent affordable housing project will be built on the site of the former racetrack in Côte-des-Neiges-NDG.

A formal public call for projects will be launched at the end of next month – with a minimum of 200 affordable housing units to be built by Sept. 2025, on the land located near Jean-Talon and Clanranald, close to Namur metro station.

Benoit Dorais, vice-president Montreal’s executive committee and responsible for housing, said the city wants to address the climate crisis and the housing crisis with this project.

“We are planning 6,000 units, the majority of which will be dedicated to social and affordable housing, and the development will focus on carbon neutrality. Sustainable mobility, notably thanks to its proximity to the metro station,” said Dorais at a press conference on Monday. “Of course, developing an exemplary new district is complex, but is necessary because it is, with projects like this one that we will succeed in responding to the climate crisis and the housing crisis to prioritize of the population which we have shared since day one, to allow future generations to live in Montreal while respecting their ability to pay.”

“The key is certainly to build more affordable housing and above all, to ensure that this housing remains affordable over time.”

In a press release, Mayor Valérie Plante said that “the launch of this first call for projects will contribute to the ambitious targets that our administration has set for itself to ensure Montreal’s carbon neutrality and affordability. By dedicating the first lot to a 100 per cent affordable housing offer, we are demonstrating our commitment to ensuring the quality of life of Montrealers and future generations. The mobilization of non-profit organizations is an essential step in meeting the need for social and affordable housing.”

No horses have raced at the Hippodrome site since 2009 and the racetrack buildings were demolished in 2018.

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The city of Montreal unveiled its vision for the large 95-hectare Namur-Hippodrome sector in 2019.

In November 2020, a report by the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) stated that the Plante administration will not succeed in building a carbon-neutral neighbourhood on the former racetrack grounds if it does not better identify the sources of pollution present there.