Summary#
Montréal city council adopted a position supporting the sale of the City-owned property at 7965, boulevard de l’Acadie, in Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension, to Coopérative d’habitation Monde-Uni for no payment. It also authorized a $110,000 write-down from the Service de l’habitation’s operating budget. City council’s position is for a later decision by the agglomeration council, which makes the final decision.
- The proposed sale covers 789.6 square metres, now three lots being combined into one.
- The sale deed may be signed only after the cooperative shows written confirmation of final funding acceptance under the Programme d’habitation abordable Québec.
- The deed is described as requiring construction to be completed within four years of signing.
- The property would leave the City’s public domain when the deed is signed.
What it means for you#
- Coopérative d’habitation Monde-Uni: The cooperative would receive the property without paying a sale price, subject to the funding condition and the deed’s terms.
- People seeking housing: City staff describe a plan to demolish the vacant building and build 26 modular homes over three floors. The decision does not set out who would qualify or what rents would be.
- Taxpayers: The City would receive no money from the sale. The authorized write-down is an accounting reduction in the property’s recorded value, not a $110,000 payment to the cooperative.
Money#
The sale brings no monetary payment to the City; the council authorized a $110,000 write-down, with no overall project-cost estimate provided.
- City staff say the City bought the property for $1,800,000 in 2021 and had already recorded a $1,691,704.22 write-down that year. Its current recorded value is $110,000.
- City staff say the new write-down is charged to the Service de l’habitation’s operating budget and is borne entirely by the agglomeration.
What is unclear#
- The materials do not give the amount or full terms of the cooperative’s housing financing.
- They do not specify rents, eligibility rules, or how long the homes must remain affordable.
- They do not explain what happens if construction is not completed within four years or describe the City’s remedies.
Case for#
- City staff say transferring the property supports social and community housing and could allow 26 homes to be built.
- The City acquired the property for social housing purposes; transferring it without payment would put it toward that stated use.
Case against#
- The City would transfer the property without receiving a sale payment, after buying it for $1,800,000 in 2021.
- The project depends on final housing-program funding, and the materials do not set out affordability rules or what happens if the project misses its completion deadline.