Montreal’s Royalmount mega development raises traffic concerns

Public consultations on the largest real estate project ever proposed for Montreal have wrapped up but not without controversy.

Many people are concerned about an increase in traffic that Royalmount, the nearly $2-billion commercial and residential project, could create at the Southwest intersection of A40 and A15.

“If it’s bad today it’s going to get worse down the road,” Saint-Laurent Brough Mayor Alan DeSousa told Global News Friday afternoon.

DeSousa submitted a brief opposing the plan.

He fears the promoters aren’t doing enough to deal with an increase in traffic caused by the mega-project.

It’s estimated the number of vehicles driving through the area could increase between 20,000 to 70,000 cars a day.

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“Without proper planning and without transportation alternatives integrated and implemented, is almost like a recipe for chaos,” DeSousa said.

And as the communications director of Pharmascience, a pharmaceutical company adjacent to Royalmount, told members of Montreal’s economic development commission that employees worry about trying to get in and out of work.

“It creates a lot of concern,” Valérie Piuze said on Thursday at Montreal city hall.

But the mayor of the Town of Mount Royal is downplaying the increase in traffic volume.

Philippe Roy says while maintaining free-flowing traffic remains the number one challenge with the project, he believes it’s manageable.

“It won’t create more traffic in people going from East to West. It will bring a little bit more traffic on Côte-de-Liesse but not on the highway,” he told Global News.

Royalmount is a mega project proposed by Carbonleo. The proposed development sits on a footprint of 74 acres of land.  The proposal includes 6,000 housing units, five hotels, four office towers, restaurants, cinemas, concert halls, and other entertainment venues.

“It’s presented as the next Disneyland or Disney World,” DeSousa said.

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The Town of Mount Royal has formally approved of the plan with the exception of the housing portion which is now under review.

However, demolition permits have been issued in the old industrial zone.

Roy says Royalmount could generate up to $20 million in annual revenues each for TMR and the agglomeration of Montreal.

The project is scheduled to be finished and open by 2022.