Today, the members of the Ville de Montréal executive committee approved certification of two new Accès Condos projects by the Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM). This step paves the way for the development of affordable new quality condominiums in the Pierrefonds-Roxboro and Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve boroughs, with a model that has proven its success in promoting home ownership and neighbourhood revitalization.

Russell Copeman, Ville de Montréal executive committee member in charge of housing , urban planning, buildings, real estate transactions and strategies, and the Office de consultation publique de Montréal, said, ”Fostering a sense of attachment to the city and supporting Montrealers looking to make their home here are Ville de Montréal priorities, and SHDM’s Accès Condos program has already proven its effectiveness by helping more than 3,600 households become homeowners in Montréal over the past decade. We’re delighted to see these new projects included in the program, which operates as a complement to the City’s Home Ownership Program. Indeed, homebuyers can take advantage of both, since they are not mutually exclusive.”

“The SHDM has been helping Montrealers become homeowners for ten years through the Accès Condos program, which helps households purchase homes without relying on any public funds or subsidies. What’s more, projects are often certified in areas undergoing revitalization, triggering a socioeconomic ripple effect, but without throwing the housing market off balance," added SHDM general manager Nancy Shoiry. “We are launching these two residential projects and pursuing development plans for other projects that are on the table for 2017 and 2018, while staying the course with innovative measures designed to meet community needs.”

A 26-unit project for families in Pierrefonds-Roxboro
Accès Condos’s first-ever project in the Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough is located at 10438 boulevard Gouin Ouest and 3e Avenue. The project comprises 26 units, 19 of which will have three bedrooms. This family-oriented project will help meet the needs of an area where 19% of the population is 14 years old or under, compared to an average of 15% for the city as a whole. The sales office is scheduled to open in November 2016, with construction slated for completion in fall 2017.

148 units to come as part of the final Accès Condos phases at Faubourg Contrecœur in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough
Phases 5 and 6, the final phases of the Accès Condos development at Faubourg Contrecœur, are due to come on stream between 2016 and 2018. Located respectively on the north and south sides of rue Myra-Cree, the two buildings, one with 6 stories and the other with 7, will house a total of 148* units, at least 25% of which will have three bedrooms. The project reflects the neighbourhood’s family-oriented demographic profile, which has grown more pronounced since the opening of Parc Carlos d’Alcantara and the announcement of a new commercial hub at Sherbrooke and de Contrecœur. The sales office for phase 5 should open in early 2017, with work slated for completion by spring 2018.

* Once the preliminary plans are completed, the number of units could be increased.

The Accès Condos program: ten years of success
The Accés-Condo program introduced in 2005 by SHDM has proved its effectiveness! More than 3,600 affordable quality units have been certified in some 10 boroughs through agreements with developers. That corresponds to more than 3,600 Montréal households that have taken advantage of our financial tool to acquire their own homes. This innovative formula encourages homeownership through a 10% purchase credit for home buyers. It also gives families space to grow, since 30% of certified units have three bedrooms or more.

To mark its 10th anniversary, the www.accescondos.org website received a complete makeover. Site visitors can discover the 30-odd certified Accès Condos projects built over the past decade and learn more about this unique home ownership program. Anyone who wants to be notified when a new sales office opens should sign up for the Accès Info newsletter on the website.