Developer vows to limit inconvenience in adding 10 floors to Grande Allée building
Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
peterblack@qctonline.com
Work could get underway soon on a project to add 10 storeys to an apartment building on Grande Allée that already has 11 floors.
The city is expected to grant approval in the coming weeks for Bildodeau Immobilier to raise the roof on 153-155 Grande Allée Est, a building that was completed in 2020. Bilodeau also owns the apartment building behind the new one, Le Montmorency, on Avenue Wilfrid-Laurier.
As for the seeming negative impacts of a construction site on top of a building housing several hundred tenants, the developers say, “During construction, several elements are being put in place to mitigate inconveniences.”
In an email exchange with the QCT, Éric Bilodeau, general manager of the family-owned company, said the building had been designed with an addition of up to 12 stories in mind.
“The structure, configuration and anchors are already installed and planned for this purpose. The structure has the capacity to accommodate the additional 10 floors without any worries,” Bilodeau said. “The same is true for the interior installations, as a third elevator shaft already exists and is ready to accommodate the third elevator, among other things.”
As for the actual construction, Bilodeau said the impact will be contained largely by the building work going on “at height.” This will limit “the footprint on public roads and sidewalks.”
He said, “A protection will be installed over a width of about 10 feet, all around the building from the 13th floor, during exterior construction. This protection will make all balconies accessible and walk- ing on the sidewalk possible. A demarcated sidewalk will be installed, with open containers and a construction flagger will be present on site as much as necessary to assist with crossing and traffic.”
Bilodeau said steps will be taken to keep Rue Galipeau, which borders the site on the west, open to traffic and pedestrians. Construction workers’ vehicles will be parked further away at designated lots.
As for the usual convoy of de- livery trucks for a construction site, Bilodeau said a system will be in place so that “trucks will have to wait to be called in turn, from a parking lot that will be established on our Boul. René-Lévesque property.”
Because there is no excavation work to be done, issues of noise and dust will be limited, he said.
Another mitigating feature, Bilodeau said, would be that the usual trailers for construction workers will be cantilevered over the build- ing. “Movement between the ground floor and the building will therefore be limited. They will use the fire escape leading to Rue Galipeau, but will have no access to the interior of the upper floors.”
Bilodeau said, “We intend to make this construction a success both in its method of execution and in the final product.”
Among the company’s other properties are the Woodfield- Sillery condo-apartments and the recently acquired Catholic diocese building and land on Boul. René-Lévesque.