Quartier Molson: Ground broken for Montreal’s newest neighbourhood at former brewery site

"Making sure that you have affordable housing, not for one year, but for the lifetime of the project," Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada said at a groundbreaking ceremony for a project to build the city's newest neighbourhood, Quartier Molson.

By Manoj Subramaniam

Posted October 14, 2026 1:11 pm.

Last Updated October 14, 2026 4:00 pm.

The construction of Montreal’s newest neighbourhood Quartier Molson is officially underway with a groundbreaking ceremony held Wednesday.

The neighbourhood is expected to be built over the next decade in a seven-hectare site where the former Molson brewery complex was located along the St. Lawrence River in the Ville-Marie borough.

The groundbreaking on Wednesday marks the first project with the development of a 27-storey residential building with nearly 400 units and a supermarket for residents, estimated to cost about $190 million, including an investment from the Fonds immobilier de solidarité FTQ.

The starting rents are expected be around $1,495 when the project is completed by the summer of 2028.

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The ceremony also included a recreation of Sohmer Park, a popular gathering point among Montrealers in the late 19^th century, within the project site.

“We are fully mindful of the magnitude of the responsibility entrusted to us as the developer of this new Montréal neighbourhood, on an iconic site imbued with history and heritage,” said Dario Montoni, president of the real-estate developer group Montoni.

Construction of a heritage site Îlot des Voltigeurs and off-market housing units is set to begin next year.

*Models of Quartier Molson, a future neighbourhood, being developed in Montreal’s Ville-Marie borough on Oct. 14, 2026 (CityNews)*

When completed Quartier Molson will have 5,000 housing units, including 1,000 off-market units as part of an agreement reached with the City of Montreal. The neighbourhood will also have green spaces with the Sohmer Park expected to provide views of the river.

“This exceptional project aligns perfectly with our commitment to developing transformative sites. Our investments will not only help revitalize a former brownfield site to benefit all types of households,” said Martin Raymond, president and CEO of Fonds immobilier de solidarité FTQ.

Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Executive Committee President Claude Pinard, real-estate developer Dario Montoni, at a ground-breaking ceremony for Quartier Molson, a future neighbourhood planned in Montreal’s Ville-Marie borough on Oct. 14, 2026 (CityNews)

Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada and Claude Pinard, Chair of the City of Montréal Executive Committee and Councillor for Saint-Jacques District participated in the ground-breaking ceremony.

“The idea is making sure that you have affordable housing, not for one year, but for the lifetime of the project,” Martinez Ferrada said.