News

The National Congress on Housing and Homelessness, organized by the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA), is being held this week in Montreal. Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM) is proud to be one of the organizers and key partners of this event.

“The congress, which brings together a wide range of people working on housing issues across Canada and abroad, is an opportunity to forge ties with others interested in housing and innovation” explained Nancy Shoiry, managing director of SHDM. “The future of our 4,700 affordable housing units, the development of rooming houses for the homeless, access to home ownership, and the development of mixed development projects are all issues that SHDM tackles in order to promote the economic and social development of Montreal. This congress is a unique forum for sharing knowledge and expertise, and we are very pleased to participate as a partner, speaker, and delegate” mentioned Ms. Shoiry.

SHDM’s actions promoting home ownership presented to Canadians from across the country
Accès Condos, SHDM’s financial tool for helping people purchase affordable condos, will be discussed at a number of activities during the CHRA congress:

• Two mobile workshops organized in cooperation with Direction de l’habitation de la Ville de Montréal will cover the Accès Condos program and its contribution to efforts to revitalize Montreal-North as well as a project serving a range of clienteles in the Sud-Ouest borough.
• Johanne Mallette, Director of Real Estate Development at SHDM, will explain the financial model Accès Condos uses and how SHDM promotes affordability at the SmartFinancing in Support of Affordable Housing workshop.

SHDM, a partner of choice for responsible housing in Montreal
SHDM, a not-for-profit, financially independent para-municipal corporation, will have a booth in the conference exhibit hall. Direction de l’habitation de la Ville de Montréal and Office municipal d’habitation de Montréal (OMHM) will also be exhibitors and will present their complementary housing services along with SHDM.

 

 

The Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM) is proud to announce that the Louis-Charland building is a finalist in the LEED Indoor Environment Quality category for the 2016 Durabilys Awards.

Located at 801 rues Brennan, in the Ville-Marie borough, the Louis-Charland building, which a LEED-CI certification, is a property of the Brennan-Duke Limited Partnership, a subsidiary of the Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM). This building, designed by MENKES SHOONER DAGENAIS LETOURNEUX Architectes, houses one of the administrative centers of Ville de Montréal. Its interior design was realized by Provencher_Roy.

Initiated by the Québec chapter of the Canada Green Building Council (CBDCa-Qc), the Durabilys Awards were created to make known projects that meet all the standards set for sustainable buildings and reward developers and stakeholders in the field of sustainable buildings in Québec. The awards will be presented at the official reception of Les journées Durabilys, which will be held at Montréal’s Palais des congrès on March 23 and 24, and which include lectures, training and a trade show.

The SHDM is proud that this major project can now be recognized through the initiative of the Canada Green Building Council and reiterates its commitment to work for sustainable and responsible property investment.

In this regard, the SHDM is currently building a major project on Place des Festivals, the Îlot Balmoral. The SHDM aims to qualify the building for a LEED Gold NC 2009 certification thanks to a green roof and a remarkable performance in terms of energy management and air quality control.

For more information on the event and the Durabylis Awards, click here.

 

Crédit photo: Marc Cramer

Crédit photo: Marc Cramer

Crédit photo: Marc Cramer

Crédit photo: Marc Cramer

On March 9, SHDM’s Director of Real Estate Development Johanne Mallette made a guest appearance on MAtv’s Mise à jour Montréal, hosted by Sophie Vallerand, to discuss how families can be encouraged to stay in Montreal.

Joined by fellow guests Jean-Philippe Meloche, Assistant Professor at Université de Montréal’s Institut d’urbanisme, and Nathalie Clément, Director of Via Capitale du Mont-Royal, Mallette highlighted the key role of SHDM and its Accès Condos program in providing new housing that meets family needs.

She pointed out that 30% of certified Accès Condos units have three or four rooms and that two-storey units featuring up to 1,600 sq. ft of living space are favored. Projects also often integrate playgrounds into shared garden spaces that can be accessed from the ground floor.

Mallette agreed with Meloche’s comments that young middle-class families often can’t afford Montreal homes that suit their needs. She added that Accès Condos has helped 3,600 families purchase  reasonably priced, good-quality homes in Montreal with just $1,000 down payments, not to mention that 64% of them enjoy the combined benefits of both the Accès Condos program and the Ville de Montréal Home Ownership Program. What’s more, 50% of Accès Condos clients are 25 to 34 years old and 80% of them have family incomes of $50,000 to $80,000, proof that the program is a fine solution for keeping families in Montreal!

Interestingly, the suburban flight trend we’ve witnessed since the 1960s seems to be changing, according to Meloche. The number of children in Montreal is on the rise, and more and more families are choosing to stay in the city.

Clément also noted a trend in the opposite direction, with families returning to Montreal as their kids finish high school. Proximity to CEGEPs, universities, and public transit is very appealing to parents who are sick of being taxis. Clément added that young families are increasingly looking to improve their quality of life. “To many of them, the stress of leaving the office at 5 p.m. and hoping that you make it back in time to pick up the kids at daycare an hour later is unthinkable,” she explained. She also noted that many urban families are quite happy with just one car, given the availability of public transit and other options like car sharing. In fact, going that route allows families to put about $500 more toward their mortgage every month.

These observations correlate with our own findings—68% of families purchasing Accès Condos units have just one car, and 13% have none.

Everything seems to suggest that families have a bright future ahead of them in Montreal, and SHDM is proud to be contributing to it.

Consult the Accès Condos website  to learn more.
Click here to watch the entire program.

Projet Via3 in the borough of Lachine – A certified Accès Condos family housing project

The SHDM (Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal) is issuing a public call for proposals for the management of three SHDM properties whose management contracts expire on June 1, 2016.

The first contract is for the management of two buildings, the Bon-Pasteur monastery located at 60-100 rue Sherbrooke Est and the approximately 8,000 sq. ft. building at 164 rue Notre-Dame Est.

The second contract is for Centre Jean-Marie-Gauvreau, located at 911 rue Jean-Talon Est.

Property managers will be in charge of keeping the books with regard to operating the buildings and overseeing relations with tenants and service providers. They will also be responsible for general building upkeep (major work, maintenance, leasehold improvements, and maintenance of common areas).

Interested property managers may bid on either or both of these contracts for a three-year term with a possible two-year extension.

Click here to search the call for proposals on SEAO website.

Ongoing until February 27, 2016 at the exhibition center of Université de Montréal, the exhibition 1: X – exploration multidisciplinaire presented by the Provencher_Roy architectural firm stages five major projects including the Îlot Balmoral.

Whether from the architectural, urban planning, sustainable development or interior design angle, the exhibition enables visitors to understand the issues and principles that guided the design of the Îlot Balmoral.

You will discover sketches, draft projects, models of different versions of the project, and the model of the final project. You will also learn about the origin of the motifs for the glass façade and will see the materials selected for the building’s interior design.

A must see!

• We wish to remind the public that a call for expressions of interest for renting space in the building is underway. For more information, please visit the section of our website dedicated to Balmoral Island. 
• For additional information on the exhibition, visit the website of the Université de Montréal exhibition center. 
• For more information on the Provencher_Roy architectural firm, visit their website. 

With the Faubourg Contrecœur development project entering its final phases, the SHDM (Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal) is issuing a public call for proposals to select a contractor/developer to develop approximately 170 certified Accès Condos units on SHDM lots 4 974 782 and 4 061 763 for phases five and six of this project. 

Once an agreement is signed with Accès Condos, these lots will be sold to the chosen developer, who will build and sell the certified Accès Condos units.

Benefits of this type of agreement:

• Accès Condos certification, an appealing formula for developers and attractive to buyers
• Shared risk, with a sales warranty on units from SHDM
• An opportunity to work with an experienced professional team to develop and showcase the project

General conditions:

• Hold a valid license issued by RBQ and authorization from AMF (Autorité des marchés financiers) to enter into public contracts in Quebec
• Have extensive experience developing residential condominiums
• Have the financial means to purchase the two lots and complete the project

Documents available AS OF FEBRUARY 10TH on www.seao.ca

For questions about the Accès Condos program, please consult the Partners and Suppliers section on our website.

Leader in the field of affordable housing and home ownership, the SHDM accredits and supports the development of quality residential projects in Montréal, while contributing to the vitality of neighbourhoods. In the past 10 years, 26 agreements were signed with 17 developers, totaling 30 projects and more than 3,600 units of affordable condos in 10 boroughs of Montréal.