285 new affordable housing units for Montreal students to come in Griffintown

The Government of Quebec, the City of Montreal, and UTILE officially announced the start of construction on UTILE Griffintown, a new student housing development that will provide 285 affordable units.

Located at the intersection of Saint-Maurice and de l’Inspecteur streets in Griffintown, the project is set to welcome its first tenants by the summer of 2027.

The $87.7 million project was unveiled by the Minister responsible for Housing, France-Élaine Duranceau, along with Benoit Dorais, Mayor of the Sud-Ouest borough, and Laurent Levesque, president and CEO of UTILE at a press conference on Monday.

“I’m very happy to be here today to announce a nonprofit housing project for students,” said Duranceau. “The housing crisis is particularly affecting students who are leaving their places of origin and need to find housing to pursue their ambitions for the future. This project demonstrates our government’s commitment to building more homes, faster.”

The building will feature a mix of 175 studios, 61 one-bedroom, 25 two-bedroom, and 24 three-bedroom units, catering to over 350 students. It will be integrated into the former Sainte-Hélène presbytery and designed with a green roof and 236 indoor bicycle parking spaces. Additionally, several common areas will be available for socializing and studying.

The Government of Quebec has contributed $15.2 million, which represents 17 per cent of the total investment, while the City of Montreal is investing $6.1 million. UTILE also received a $16 million loan from the Fonds immobilier de solidarité FTQ to purchase the land.

“We are very proud to begin construction of UTILE Griffintown, which will fill an important need by providing housing for no less than 350 students,” said Levesque.

“It’s really efficient and that’s why we like to work with UTILE that has shown to be very agile and innovative in terms of financing and delivering units for students that in the current context of the housing crisis really need affordable houses,” said Duranceau.

This project is part of UTILE’s broader commitment to addressing the housing crisis by providing affordable options for students in Montreal.

UTILE is currently developing 1,550 housing units across Quebec, including in Montreal, Quebec City, Rimouski, and Trois-Rivières.

“Montreal is the second-largest university city in North America, and our administration is working tirelessly to better protect students in the face of the housing crisis,” said Dorais. “These units in the heart of a dynamic neighbourhood are a concrete way to preserve Montreal’s attractiveness, attract talent, and remain fully competitive in terms of the workforce.”