The New Face of Nuns' Island

Nuns' Island has long been perceived as an affluent bedroom community, isolated from the hustle and bustle of downtown by the St. Lawrence River. Today, with the commissioning of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM), this paradigm is changing radically.

The update to the PPU for the station's surroundings and the Place du Commerce sector redefines the rules of the game.

Current Population and Projections

• Official Population (2021 Census): 21,568 inhabitants.

• Current Estimate (2025): Approximately 22,500 to 23,000 inhabitants.

  • Note: There is no real-time counter, but growth is constant with the delivery of new phases of residential towers.

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The Growth Context (Link to the PPU)

This is where the numbers become critical.

The Historical "Ceiling" vs. Reality

For a long time, the borough's urban plan aimed for a maximum population of roughly 25,000 inhabitants to maintain infrastructure balance.

The Effect of Densification (North PPU & Place du Commerce)

With the updated PPU, this ceiling will be exceeded.

• The PPU allows for the addition of approximately 3,700 new housing units (mainly in the Place du Commerce and Pointe-Nord sectors).

• If we account for a conservative average of 1.5 to 2 people per household for these new condos, this would add 5,500 to 7,500 additional residents eventually.

Long-Term Projection (Horizon 2030-2035)

With the full deployment of the PPU and TOD (Transit-Oriented Development) zones, the population of Nuns' Island could reach nearly 30,000 inhabitants, representing an increase of nearly 50% compared to 2016 figures.

1. The Context: A Shift Toward TOD

The new PPU aims to transform the northern part of the island and the commerce sector into a neighborhood focused on Transit-Oriented Development (TOD).

The goal is clear: to densify intelligently around the station to maximize public transit usage while reducing dependence on the automobile—a critical point for an island with few road access points.

Located in the borough of Verdun, the northern part of Nuns' Island covers an area of approximately 79 hectares.

The sector is bordered to the east by the banks of the St. Lawrence River, to the north by the Nuns' Island channel, to the west by Nuns' Island Boulevard, and to the south by René-Lévesque Boulevard and Rue Cours-du-Fleuve.

As the main southern gateway to downtown Montreal, this sector sits at the intersection of Highways 10 and 15 and the new Samuel De Champlain Bridge. It includes:

• Place du Commerce and its surroundings (the main hub of shops and services on Nuns' Island);

• The Bell Canada Campus;

• The Pointe-Nord mixed-use neighborhood north of Highway 15.

Currently, the area south of Highway 15 is occupied primarily by buildings with commercial and economic functions, as well as some vacant lots or large surface parking lots.

An Overview of the Sector's Potential:

• Addition of at least 4,000 housing units and a contribution to diversity with a share of social, affordable, and family housing;

• Up to 120,000 m² in economic functions (existing or new);

• Approximately 3.5 hectares of new or redeveloped collective outdoor spaces (parks, squares, etc.) adding to the existing 9 hectares;

• A major riverside park, a commemoration site for the federal project Heritage Champlain Path;

• Structuring public transit via the REM station;

• A connected active transport network, including a revitalization of Place du Commerce;

• Green infrastructures and ecological water management;

• A potential project for a new primary school and a new secondary school on the island, depending on school space needs to be confirmed in the coming years.

2. Statistics and Ridership: The Mobility Shock

The impact of the REM is quantifiable and massive. CDPQ Infra and urban planning studies foresee significant flows that justify this densification:

• Projected Ridership: The Nuns' Island station is designed to welcome several thousand passengers per day (initial projections estimated between 3,000 and 5,000 daily trips during peak periods), becoming the main gateway for residents traveling downtown (a 6-minute ride) or to the South Shore.

• Residential Density: The revised PPU permits the construction of new housing units, aiming eventually for the addition of approximately 2,500 to 3,500 new units in the North and Place du Commerce sectors within 15 years.

• Permitted Heights: To accommodate this density, new zoning regulations allow heights varying from 12 to 30 stories in the immediate vicinity of the station, tapering down gradually toward existing residential zones.

  
  

3. Economic Impacts and Budgets

The transformation of Place du Commerce is the central economic lever of the PPU.

• Commercial Revitalization: We are moving from a "strip mall" model (open-air shopping centers of the 80s) to mixed-use buildings (commercial on the ground floor, residential on the upper floors). This is expected to generate a significant increase in property tax revenues for the City.

• Public Investments: The City of Montreal plans infrastructure investments (sewers, water mains, roads) estimated at over $50 million over the next decade to support this density, not counting landscaping.

  
  

4. Social Impact and Quality of Life

This is where the shoe pinches, and where the PPU attempts to find a precarious balance.

• Affordable and Social Housing: Under the By-law for a Diverse Metropolis, new developments must include a portion of social and affordable housing (target of 20% social, 20% affordable). This is a major challenge in a market where the price per square foot is among the highest in the metropolis.

• Education: The arrival of new families has exacerbated the need for schools. The PPU integrates the necessary space for the new primary school (already under construction/advanced planning) to address the saturation of current institutions.

• The Traffic Nightmare: The number one friction point remains traffic. Residents fear that densification will further clog the Strathyre roundabout and access to the Samuel De Champlain Bridge. The PPU is betting on the fact that new residents will use the REM rather than cars—a bold urban planning gamble.

  
  

The update of the PPU around the Nuns' Island station is a necessary response to a new infrastructural reality. While the economic benefits and the logic of sustainable development are undeniable, the project's success will be measured by its ability to maintain an island quality of life while absorbing metropolitan density.

For investors and residents alike, the next 5 years will be decisive. The face of the island is changing, and it is now looking resolutely towards the rail.

1. The Real Estate Portfolio

Nuns' Island distinguishes itself from the rest of Montreal by its urban planning inspired by modernism ("towers in a park").

• Approximate number of towers (12 stories and up): There are currently between 45 and 50 major residential towers on the island.

  • a. The Structures Métropolitaines Years (60s-70s): Many small dwellings from Rue Adélard to Rue de Gaspé, but already the first 4 towers on Corot and de Gaspé (15 stories).

    • These buildings are not simple residential towers; they are the direct legacy of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, one of the greatest architects of the 20th century, and served as the model for the "City in a Park" urban development of Nuns' Island.

    • These iconic towers were built during the first phase of the island's development, marking the era when Nuns' Island was a global laboratory for modern architecture.

  • b. The Classics (80s-90s): Les Verrières sur le Fleuve (6 towers), Les Sommets (4 towers), the Club Marin complex (3 towers). These towers are generally between 15 and 20 stories.

  • c. The New Wave (Pointe-Nord & Pointe-Sud): The Evolo towers (1, 2, S, X, NEX) and Symphonia (SOL, VIU, POP).

    
    

Nuns' Island has always been designed for height. The new PPU only continues a tradition of architectural excellence begun over 50 years ago by a master of modernism, who already advocated for density to free up green spaces on the ground.

The island has one of the highest concentrations of high-rise condominiums (condos) in the province, concentrated mainly on the banks (North and South) and around the golf course.

2. Parks, Forests, and Green Spaces

This is the island's DNA. Approximately 30% to 40% of the island's surface area is dedicated to green spaces, the golf course, or conservation zones, which is exceptional for an area so close to downtown.

• Total area of public green spaces: Approximately 55 to 60 hectares (excluding the private golf course).

• The Jewel: Domaine Saint-Paul (The Woods):

  • It is one of the last wet forests in Montreal.

  • Size: 26 hectares (the equivalent of 36 football fields).

  • It is classified as an exceptional forest ecosystem.

• Main Parks:

  • West-Vancouver Park: Large linear park facing the river.

  • Parc de la Fontaine: In the center of the island.

  • Parc de l'Esplanade: In Pointe-Nord (new sector).

• The Golf Course: The Golf Club (although private and threatened by long-term development discussions) represents a huge green lung of about 60 hectares in the center-south of the island.

  
  

3. Heights and Floors

This is where the paradigm shift is most visible.

• Typical height of NEW buildings:

  • While older towers hovered around 15-18 stories, new constructions aim much higher.

  • Current average (New projects): 30 to 37 stories.

  • Examples:

    • Evolo X: 36 stories.

    • Symphonia POP: 32 stories.

    • Symphonia VIU: 43 stories (one of the tallest).

• PPU Regulations (REM/North Zone):

  • The PPU authorizes significant heights near the REM station to create a "metropolitan signal" effect, but requires a downward gradation as one approaches existing residential zones (townhouses).

  • The typical height permitted in the maximum density zone is 25 stories and up, with podiums (commercial bases) of 2 to 4 stories to maintain a human scale at street level.

    
    

Nuns' Island is a territory of marked contrasts: it is home to some fifty concrete and glass towers, the most recent of which approach 40 stories, while jealously preserving Domaine Saint-Paul, a 26-hectare wet forest. It is this marriage between vertical ultra-density and strict ecological conservation that defines its unique urbanism.

Nuns' Island 2.0: Densifying the "Urban Forest" Without Denaturing It

Far from the image of a traditional bedroom suburb,

Nuns' Island is already a unique hub of vertical density in Montreal. The arrival of the REM and the update of the Special Urban Planning Program (PPU) do not mark the beginning of urbanization, but its critical acceleration.

This dossier analyzes how the City plans to insert 4,000 new housing units and transform Place du Commerce, with the ultimate challenge of preserving the island's "nature and river" identity in the face of unprecedented demographic pressure.

We must break a myth: Nuns' Island is not a village of small single-family homes threatened by developers.

It is an already heavily urbanized territory, characterized by its numerous residential towers and constant growth driven by the regular delivery of new phases. The real issue of the PPU update is not introducing density, but managing its intensification around the new REM station without sacrificing what gives the island its value: its balance between concrete and greenery.

With an official population of 21,568 inhabitants in 2021 and estimates already approaching 23,000 inhabitants today, the island has long operated with a theoretical ceiling of 25,000 residents so as not to saturate its infrastructure. This ceiling is popping today.

The northern sector and Place du Commerce, the southern gateway to downtown at the intersection of Highways 10 and 15, are destined to mutate.

We are no longer talking about building on virgin fields, but about requalifying already paved areas (parking lots, "strip malls") to turn them into mixed living environments.

2. The PPU: Intelligently Densifying a Constrained Territory

The PPU update targets the northern sector (79 hectares). The objective is to transform this sector, particularly the aging Place du Commerce, into a true TOD (Transit-Oriented Development) neighborhood. The project figures demonstrate the scale of this ambition:

• Housing: Addition of at least 4,000 new housing units, which could add up to 7,500 new residents eventually.

• Assumed Verticality: New zoning rules allow heights of 12 to 30 stories near the REM station. On Nuns' Island, height is not a novelty, but here it moves closer to commercial zones and the river.

• Economy: The plan foresees up to 120,000 m² of economic functions (offices, shops) to revitalize the local offer.

  
  

3. The Crucial Challenge: Preserving the "City in the Park"

This is where social acceptability comes into play. Nuns' Island is prized for its green spaces. The challenge is not to prevent construction, but to ensure that every square meter of concrete is compensated by ecological quality of life.

• Green Spaces: The PPU promises to add 3.5 hectares of new public spaces (parks, squares) to the 9 hectares existing in the sector. This includes a major park on the eastern bank, linked to the Heritage Champlain path.

• Green Infrastructure: The plan mandates ecological water management and green infrastructures, essential to avoid heat islands in this new dense hub.

  
  

4. Mobility: The Risky Gamble

The point of friction remains access to the island. With few road access points, residents fear the asphyxiation of the Strathyre roundabout. The City's strategy is a bold urban planning gamble: betting that the massive offer of public transit (the REM) and active transport will reduce dependence on the solo car. The station is designed to absorb 3,000 to 5,000 daily passengers, acting as the main safety valve for an island in full demographic growth.

Nuns' Island is no longer a suburb in the making; it is a mature city that must manage its own complexity.

The success of the PPU will not be measured by the number of towers erected—we already know they will be—but by the capacity to maintain an "island quality of life" in the heart of an assumed metropolitan density.

For residents, the stake is to ensure that their island remains an inhabited park, and does not simply become a vertical dormitory connected to a train.

Territorial Distribution PPU North & Place du Commerce

 What these numbers tell us

1. The Green/Concrete Ratio: Although the PPU adds 3.5 hectares of greenery, the perception of density will change radically because the built surface area (in height) will explode. The challenge will be ensuring these 12.5 hectares of parks are of very high quality, as they will be much more heavily used than before.

2. The End of "Voids": The PPU targets "vacant lots" and "large surface parking lots." In short, private asphalt (parking) will be replaced by inhabited concrete (towers) and public green spaces.

3. The Human Scale: With 30-story towers, the main issue highlighted in the document is the treatment of the ground floors (the podium) to avoid the "canyon" effect and keep a pleasant ambiance for pedestrians.

Conclusion: A More Complete and Connected Island

Far from denaturing Nuns' Island, the update of the PPU represents an opportunity to complete its urban planning. We are moving from a segmented suburban logic (where one must drive to go to the store) to that of a truly complete living environment.

The densification of the northern sector helps finance amenities that the status quo would never have permitted:

• The creation of an active transport network to connect neighborhoods.

• The revitalization of Place du Commerce, which will become a lively neighborhood heart rather than a simple parking lot.

• The addition of 3.5 hectares of public green spaces, securing access to the river for everyone.

  
  

The arrival of the REM, with its capacity for several thousand daily passengers, definitively anchors Nuns' Island in Montreal modernity. It is the evolution towards a more sustainable tranquility: one where one can live, work, entertain oneself, and travel without depending exclusively on the automobile.

For residents, current and future, the coming years promise to transform the area into a destination in its own right, honoring the initial vision of a modern city in a park.

"And you, how do you imagine your neighborhood life with these new amenities?

If you enjoyed this dossier on the future of our island, share this newsletter/podcast with your neighbors. Together, let's participate in the conversation about our living environment."

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Parcours Héritage Champlain | PJCCI