McGill dreams big with Royal Victoria redevelopment plan
McGill University’s $1-billion dream of moving into the soon-tobe vacated Royal Victoria Hospital received some good news Friday with the announcement Quebec is prepared to invest $4 million in a feasibility study.
“Today Robert Poëti (Quebec minister responsible for the Montreal region) announced he wants to do business with McGill and try to move that project forward,” said Olivier Marcil, vice-president of external relations for the university.
The announcement came during the annual forum on major projects slated for Montreal presented by the Board of Trade of Montreal. Other projects included refurbishing St. Joseph’s Oratory, a design competition for the public space that is scheduled to occupy the territory behind Montreal’s city hall downtown once the Ville Marie Expressway is covered, the renewal of Ste-Catherine St. W. and redevelopment of the Old Port sector.
McGill has long voiced its interest in occupying the land and properties housing the Royal Victoria once it is vacated in the move to the new McGill University Health Centre as of April 26.
In a video presented to the board of trade, McGill outlined its vision of gutting the 120-year-old institution, preserving its heritage buildings but tearing down other buildings to create structures housing classes, research facilities and administrative offices. It also plans to open public pathways to Mount Royal, turn parking lots into green spaces and build a 2,000- seat convocation hall/atrium that could be used by the community.
Ideally, McGill would like to see the reconstruction finished by 2021 to coincide with the university’s 200th anniversary, but there are several hurdles. A government appointed committee of experts approved the idea last year, but warned that redeveloping the Royal Victoria is a project of great complexity that could engender many hidden costs. The question of who will fund the estimated $1-billion rebuild is unclear, and the committee expressed doubts about McGill’s ability to obtain federal and provincial funding and cover one-third of the costs itself.
Even Quebec’s announcement of $4 million for a feasibility study Thursday came with the proviso that McGill comes up with an additional $4 million toward the study. University officials said they are still discussing the terms of their investment with the government.
They hope to launch the study soon, Marcil said, to determine the state of the buildings, many that date to 1893, some of which are insulated with asbestos. The report will also give a firm estimate of the costs of transforming the Royal Vic and how long it will take, Marcil said.
Also Friday, the city reiterated that it plans to hold a design contest to garner visions for the public space to be created next to the Champ-de-Mars métro station once the Ville Marie Expressway is covered, a project that is estimated at $100 million. For more details, visit realisonsmtl.ca/secteurchampdemars
The plans for the reconstruction of Ste-Catherine St. between Mansfield and Bleury Sts. will be unveiled in May, Pierre Desrochers, president of the city’s executive committee, said Friday. He did not disclose any new details, other than to say the city is studying the idea of heated sidewalks, which has been making the rounds of late.