New affordable student housing complex slated for Montreal's Plateau borough

Angelina Nikolaeva knows firsthand how hard it can be to find affordable housing as a student.

After spending a year in student housing at McGill University, Nikolaeva, going into her fourth year, says she switched to the cheaper option of living off-campus with roommates. But even that, she says, is a heavy financial lift

"I already get student loans so it's already difficult in that sense and I also still need help from my parents," she said. 

A non-profit that builds affordable housing for students is hoping to ease this kind of burden with its plan to build a new student housing complex in Montreal's Plateau-Mont-Royal borough and open its doors as early as 2027. 

The Unité de travail pour l'implantation de logement étudiant (UTILE) has reached an agreement with Centraide (United Way) of Greater Montreal, a charitable organization, to buy a parking lot near McGill University and construct a building there.

The plan is offer up to 200 affordable apartment units to low-income students from universities across the city — at rents 10 to 30 per cent below market value. 

"We will be prioritizing students with lower incomes because they're often the ones in most need of affordable housing," said Laurent Levesque, UTILE's executive director and co-founder. He said rents would increase as little as possible from year to year. 

An UTILE study on student housing in Montreal, released earlier this month, shows that, in addition to having suffered a 20 per cent rent increase in two years, nearly 50 per cent of the 171,200 student tenants in Montreal have an annual income of less than $20,000.

Moreover, about 10 per cent of student renters, according to the study, say they share a one-bedroom apartment with at least two other people, while others live in large, shared apartments, competing with families looking for housing. 

"Building more student housing liberate spaces on the rental market for other households and improves student success and well-being," Levesque said. 

Number of units to be determined

Centraide agreed to sell the "underutilized" parking lot after about a year of talks with UTILE.

"For us, there was no question of getting rid of it unless it was in favour of a project with a social purpose, such as the creation of affordable housing," said Claude Pinard, president and general manager of Centraide. 

The proceeds of the sale, a figure yet to be determined, will be invested in other social projects, said Pinard. 

The student housing complex will be located on Durocher Street, just north of Sherbrooke Street West, on the border of the Quartier des Spectacles and the borough.

"It's an exceptional opportunity," said Luc Rabouin, the borough mayor for the Plateau-Mont-Royal. 

But the number of units offered will depend on how many storeys the borough allows the building to be. While UTILE wants the complex to be at least 10 storeys, a zoning bylaw limits private rental buildings in the Plateau to four storeys.

Rabouin, however, says he is prepared to be very flexible.

"It's a project that meets real needs. We want it to happen. We want it to be economically viable, so we're talking," he said. 

"We'll give the project VIP treatment. We prioritize all social and affordable housing projects so that they come to fruition as quickly as possible."