Summary#
This is a site-specific planning resolution, not a general zoning amendment. On September 21, 2026, Montréal city council adopted it without changes under section 145.45 of Québec’s land-use law, authorizing a 10-storey mixed-use building at Jean-Talon East and Buies in Saint-Léonard, despite listed rules in zoning bylaw 1886. City staff say the goal is to allow a revised project near the planned Mary Two-Axe Earley métro station.
- The authorization applies to two specified lots, but city staff say the building itself would be on the Jean-Talon East lot; the other lot is not buildable because of an Hydro-Québec easement. Other zoning rules that do not conflict with the resolution still apply.
- Street-level space must be used for commerce, offices or clinics, or restaurants; a residential lobby is also allowed. Upper floors must be multifamily housing. Basements are limited to parking, waste storage and technical space.
- The resolution allows exceptions to rules on permitted uses, height and floor-area limits, landscaping, parking, electric-vehicle charging, bicycle parking, loading areas and masonry. It still requires solid masonry on at least 80% of exterior wall area, with stated exclusions.
- The site may have up to 150 parking spaces, including no more than 91 outdoors. It must have at least 211 bicycle spaces, at least half indoors. If there is no agreement with a recognized car-share organization before the building permit, the two planned car-share spaces must be planted and the total number of parking spaces reduced.
- Conditions include at least 38 trees, a 485-square-metre community garden, a climate-resilience factor of at least 0.75, vegetated roofs on the 5th, 7th and 10th floors, and space for a STM bus shelter. Construction must begin within 36 months of the resolution taking effect.
What it means for you#
- People looking for housing or shops: City staff describe a plan for 124 rental homes and ground-floor commercial space. The resolution itself does not require 124 homes or set rents or affordability levels.
- Nearby residents: The building may reach 10 storeys, with required changes in its form and placement shown in annexes. City staff say nearby properties on Baudelaire Street would feel the main impacts. The resolution also requires applicable site-plan and architectural review criteria to be met.
- Garden users: A community garden and at least three outdoor parking spaces for its use are required. Soil quality must be certified before a building permit; if the soil is unsuitable, measures must be taken to make it suitable for growing food.
- Developer: Before the building permit, the developer must provide a bank guarantee and an up-to-date waste-management plan. If the project does not comply, the City may claim the guarantee; failure to meet the resolution’s obligations makes the authorization void.
- The public generally: This decision does not change citywide zoning or guarantee that the project will be built.
Money#
No publicly available information on the City’s cost or the project’s total cost is included in the supplied material.
- Before the building permit, a $628,660 irrevocable bank guarantee is required. It is replaced by a $502,928 guarantee when the exterior of the building is complete, then by a $377,196 guarantee when the community gardens are complete. This is security for compliance, not a stated City payment.
- City staff say the project was revised after it became subject to an ARTM transport levy for construction within 500 metres of a métro entrance. The levy amount is not given.
- No publicly available information is provided on City staffing or administration costs.
What is unclear#
- The annexes showing the design and exact dimensions are not included, so the building’s detailed shape and setbacks cannot be checked here.
- The resolution does not set affordability requirements, rents or the final number of homes. City staff’s figure of 124 rentals is a project description, not a condition in the resolution.
- The resolution requires a community garden, but the supplied text does not set out its long-term operation or public-access arrangements.
- The supplied material does not report the public consultation’s comments or outcome.
- The ARTM levy amount and the project’s overall costs are not stated.
Case for#
- City staff say the project would add housing and commercial space near a planned métro station, in an area identified for redevelopment.
- The authorization comes with specific requirements, including a climate-resilience factor of 0.75, permeable outdoor parking, trees, vegetated roofs and a community garden.
- City staff say the building’s stepped form is intended to reduce its effects on nearby homes and sunlight; the resolution makes the required form part of the authorization.
Case against#
- The resolution allows exceptions to many ordinary zoning requirements, including rules on height, uses, parking, electric-vehicle charging, landscaping and loading. The supplied material does not explain each trade-off.
- A building of up to 10 storeys would be beside a residential area of two-storey buildings. City staff identify nearby Baudelaire Street properties as the main area where impacts may be felt.
- The decision does not require affordable homes or set rents, despite authorizing a residential project.
- It permits up to 150 parking spaces, including 26 outdoor spaces for paid public parking, and departs from some electric-vehicle charging rules. The supplied material does not explain the expected traffic or the project’s total transport-levy cost.