LE BEAUMONT
Condo project on Côte St-Luc Rd.
Step onto your balcony, coffee in hand, and gaze upon the green canopy of southwestern Montreal unfolding like a verdant tapestry stretching as far as the eye can see. Turn east and treat yourself to stunning vistas of Mount Royal, St. Joseph’s Oratory and the Montreal skyline.
Some outrageously expensive highrise perched atop Mount Royal? Or a lofty manor tucked into an exclusive cul-de-sac in Outremont or Westmount? Maybe even downtown Montreal‘s newest uber-highrise?
Nope. Côte St-Luc Rd. and Clanranald. Believe it.
Rising on the site of a former car wash, gym, taxi stand and restaurant, Le Beaumont NDG is the area’s newest and most posh realestate development. Residents of Côte St-Luc, N.D.G. and Snowdon know it well. The block between Clanranald and Earnscliffe Aves. hosted low-rise commerce and a whole lot of asphalt on a strip heavily dominated by apartment buildings, until DevMcGill and Sobeys arrived a few years ago with a plan to develop the lot.
The project’s early vision, a single 15-storey tower, did not pass community muster over concerns about shadows and truck traffic, owing to the ground-floor grocery store. With a redrawn plan, the city — and now, apparently, buyers — have found fast favour.
Three years later, the digging has begun on the 140-unit contemporary dual-tower structure which will sit on a commercial pedestal and be joined by multi-level glassed-in walkways overlooking a landscaped courtyard.
“We are selling,” said project broker Stacey Keller of McGill Immobilier. “Delivery is set for spring/summer 2019, but the good weather has permitted DevMcGill to advance quickly. We are sticking with our timeline, but we are ahead of schedule.”
With about 67 per cent of units sold — including all one- and three-bedroom units — remaining apartments are among the more expensive, she said, including penthouses in the stylish address rising high in the Snowdon district of the Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough.
Apartments range in size from 800 square feet for a one-bedroom, to a four-bedroom 2,213-squarefoot apartment with two living rooms and three balconies starting at $824,000.
“There’s definitely a demand for it,” Keller said at her Monkland showroom. “Many families in the city increasingly want something easy to manage that’s close to schools, and it’s absolutely stunning.”
Indeed, the project’s distinctive contemporary architectural imprint by Régis Côté et Associés boasts clean lines and luxurious details, mingling with subtle warm tones and decorative masonry.
Extensive soundproofing and exposed concrete ceilings just shy of nine feet, with thermal-glazed floor-to-ceiling windows in every condo, make for a warm, serene and spacious feel in light-drenched apartments. Units come with integrated Eurostyle appliances in a two-colour kitchen palette and engineered Quebec wood floors in five finishes.
Stacey Keller said local empty nesters are snapping up the units, unloading their expensive homes in Hampstead and N.D.G. and opting for good living in a new condo building, but Le Beaumont is also drawing many younger buyers, who work in the area or close by “and have become less fascinated with Griffintown and Old Montreal.” They are also perhaps eyeing a resale some years down the road.
What’s right here and right now is the big draw — walking distance from two métro stations, and proximity to downtown and all major bus routes is an enormous plus, Keller agrees. “We timed it: less than eight minutes to walk to Villa Maria métro station and the STM 24 bus that takes you downtown.”
Of course, the MUHC superhospital and other hospitals are minutes away, trendy Monkland Village is two blocks up Girouard Ave., and Queen Mary Rd. and Sherbrooke St. are a nice walk from the front door.
The project sits on the cusp of the western half of Montreal’s most populous borough, home to a sprawling university campus, private and public schools, cultural centres, libraries and more.
While the project stands above Côte St-Luc Rd., the main entrance and lobby are accessed via Clanranald which travels one way north; new traffic lights promised by the borough will ease access into the property and will slow speeders who typically race north onto Clanranald from the busy artery.
Either way, it’s widely acknowledged that the area is undergoing traffic mayhem in the short-term as Turcot reconstruction is underway. But those traffic woes will end soon, Keller said, “and we will have something spectacular here,” a few blocks from the expressway.
The project’s popularity did not surprise, explained Keller, who has lived in the area and knows the neighbourhood. “There’s no other new construction in N.D.G., no luxury competition.”
But what was a surprise is how big a draw the IGA is. “It was a huge selling point. Older, younger, people love it.”
The IGA is to be opened by the time construction is completed and direct access from your home means “you can go grocery shopping in winter in your flip-flops,” she said with a laugh. “It’s going to be awesome.”
The underground parking garage accessed from Côte St-Luc Rd. will feature two sections — one isolated and restricted for store clients, and the other for tenants with full access.
The building is set back above the commercial portion, the lowest condo floors on the third storey — ”Rez de Jardins” — offering an elevated view above the busy artery. Those units are getting the most attention, and are pricier because they feature large private terraces for a backyard feeling you won’t get on other floors. Sort of like a minipark above the grocery store, and a third-floor exclusive.
What’s not exclusive is the fact that all residents will enjoy a bright and modern gym on the lobby mezzanine and a rooftop outdoor pool with lounge and barbecue terrace area.
Monthly condo fees are currently set at 31 cents per square foot, under $4,000 a year for the average unit.