By: Mike Cohen
The Suburban
The man behind the Town of Mount Royal project told The Suburban that he is open to any potential proposals to build a professional baseball stadium on the premises within the 90 percent of buildable density available.
Businessmen Stephen Bronfman and Mitch Garber attempted to bring pro baseball back to Montreal, working on a concept of sharing custody of the Tampa Bay Rays. Part of the plan was for a downtown stadium. The project fell through and there is now talk about Montreal getting a franchise in the minor pro Frontier League, which also has teams in Quebec City, Trois-Rivières and Ottawa.
Andrew Lutfy gave an exclusive video interview for The Suburban. You can watch the piece online at The Suburban.com — On Air channel under Cohen in the City. So baseball at Royalmount? “We have land,” he said. “I will put it out there. We have enough room. I love transformational projects that will outlive me. If the city wants baseball and there is a market, I am happy to consider it.”
Lutfy emphasized how this is merely Phase One of the project. He says there is a lot to look forward to: a significant residential project, welcoming thousands of families; a Restoration Hardware (RH Home) mansion with a large rooftop restaurant; a kosher dining establishment; the largest Rolex store in North America; a flagship Tiffany store and more.
“It’s all about global brands,” Lutfy said. “We were happy to get two or three; we got over 15. We are the talk of the town around the world. As every month goes by we are growing.”{div}Long-time professional sports executive Mark Weightman had this to say about the baseball possibility.
“A key criteria for any stadium is access. The Royalmount location is very central and has direct access to the metro, making it an attractive option. Another important criteria to consider is the ability to create a vibrant commercial district around the stadium, giving fans other social and entertainment options pre and post game. When a stadium is downtown there are always restaurants and bars nearby providing natural options to the fans, but if an entertainment district can be built around the site, in addition to the Royalmount itself, it could definitely be a viable option.”{/div}Go to https://www.thesuburban.com/on_air/cohen_in_the_city/ to watch the interview. n