Montreal will hold public consultations on vacant space in September to "give a breath of fresh air" to the commercial arteries, announced yesterday the mayor Valerie Plante.
Suzanne Colpron
The Press
The numbers speak for themselves: the vacancy rate is 24% in the rue Saint-Denis, one of the most difficult arteries in the metropolis. It is 25% on Sainte-Catherine Street East, 11% on Wellington Street and 13% on Saint-Laurent Boulevard, where "many premises are not rented voluntarily", according to Robert Beaudry, Development Manager. Economic and Trade and Housing on the Executive Committee.
Some streets are better off than others. Rue Masson, for example, has a rental space rate of only 6%. Laurier and Mount Royal avenues are also doing pretty well. But the vacancy rate of many arteries is between 10% and 15%, says Mayor Plante.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, ARCHIVES THE PRESS
Rue Masson has a commercial space rental rate of only 6%.
Why ? The causes are many: rising rents, real estate speculation, poor matching between supply and demand, the explosion of online commerce, changing consumer habits …
Public Consultations
Unoccupied premises undermine the vitality of commercial streets, the quality of life in the neighborhoods and the power of attraction of Montreal as a commercial destination.
To get a clear and complete picture of the situation, the City has decided to entrust the Montreal Urban and Economic Development Commission with the mandate to hold public consultations on vacant space. At the same time, she announced a stimulus plan for Saint-Denis Street, spread over five years.
Step One: Diagnose commercial streets and analyze best practices around the world, whether in Paris, San Francisco or New York, that have taken steps to help and promote independent and local businesses.
Possible solutions
Should Montreal ban big brands in certain commercial arteries, the Gap, Aldo, DavidsTea and Lululemon of this world? Set up a commercial property status register, as New York does, to make the best decisions? Allow the temporary occupation of vacant spaces by entrepreneurs or cultural and community organizations? Review the zoning rules to encourage diversification of the commercial offer?
So many options that will be scrutinized by elected officials.
The decline in property taxes? "It's not in the plans," says Mayor Plante.
"As long as I do not have other means to finance all the services of the City of Montreal – I remind you, 70% depend on the property tax – I'm not in a position to be able to reduce the taxes. "
Valérie Plante, Mayor of Montreal
A report on the state of unoccupied premises will be presented to the City in December. Citizens, owners and traders will be invited to participate in public consultations in January 2020.
"The recommendations will come out somewhere in the spring, and we will take action," said Mme Plant.
"Create street experiences"
The President of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal (CCMM), Michel Leblanc, is pleased with the City's plan, but regrets that the delays are so long.
"It's certain that I find the timelines a bit long. We are talking about having consultation results in a few months to act in the spring. I would have preferred to have two months to consult, and in December, be ready with an action plan. "
Michel Leblanc, President of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
According to him, to solve the problem of vacant premises, one must first and foremost "create experiences on the street".
"The first thing is to give people the urge to go. And the second thing is accessibility. We must recognize the accessibility by car. Everyone will not go by bike or metro. Accessibility, parking, traffic, the experience on the street … That's what will lead owners to find people who will want to use their spaces. "
A stimulus plan for Saint-Denis Street
The city yesterday announced an action plan to revitalize rue Saint-Denis, where one in four spaces is unoccupied. "It is essential to revive this great street of beauty, architecture, institutions and culture, turning it into a place of life where the noise will be reduced, the experience on the terrace improved, the walking on foot side by side of the facilitated street, where new areas of meeting and relaxation for the clientele will be created, "says Alex Norris, acting mayor of Plateau-Mont-Royal. The five-year recovery plan includes a series of measures, including bike lanes, greening, adding traffic lights, rezoning, lighting, a public art corridor and the restoration of the former Deafness Institute, which lost its last occupants in 2015 with the relocation of the Montreal Health and Social Services Agency.
Source link
https://www.lapresse.ca/affaires/economie/201908/19/01-5237948-montreal-sattaque-au-probleme-des-locaux-commerciaux-inoccupes.php
