Sophie Demers

LJI Reporter

During the June 11 municipal council meeting, phase 1 of the redevelopment of the Galeries de Hull site was approved. The plans include construction and redevelopment of lots 320 to 360 boulevard Saint-Joseph.

“Tonight, I am in favour of the redevelopment of the Galeries de Hull, which will be the biggest commercial redevelopment in Gatineau in 25 years,” said Marc Bureau, Parc-de-la-Montagne- Saint-Raymond councillor, at the site. “Once complete, the project will have 2,500 residential units, and an urban space with approximately 100,000m2 of commercial space to meet the new needs of consumers. It will resemble the Lansdowne project in Ottawa.”

Phase 1 of the work includes building a 10-storey, 345-unit mixed-use building that will include residential units and commercial spaces. The shopping centre was built in the 1960s and currently has 25,455m2 of retail space surrounded by surface parking.

This phase of the project foresees 551 parking spaces, 345 for residential uses and 206 for commercial use. Of the parking spaces, 454 will be underground and 97 will be surface level parking.

The redevelopment of the major road aligns with the three urban development orientations, specifically, sustainable and active transportation, parks and green spaces, and urban densification to re-populate the downtown area.

“We are redeveloping Saint-Joseph boulevard, an interesting and important project. It is a busy area that is not currently user friendly, and this redevelopment will give way to better access to active transportation, in terms of sidewalks and bike paths,” said Steve Moran, Hull-Wright councillor.

Despite the support for the project overall, Moran stated, “We are about to approve minor variances that would allow parking spots along the road. I don’t think this is necessary for the realization of the project and I believe it would detract from the interesting urban atmosphere.”

Moran, Anik des Marais, Mitigomijokan councillor, and Caroline Murray, Deschênes councillor objected to the minor variance; however, the project still passed.

Photo: Digital photo of the plans for phase 1 of the redevelopment of Saint-Joseph Boulevard and the Galeries de Hull. The plan consists of a 10-storey, 345-unit mixed-use building and 551 parking spaces.

Photo: City of Gatineau