Peter Black

June 5, 2024

Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

The Trudel Alliance property development company, already busy with huge projects to transform shopping malls in suburban areas, is now targeting a vast parking lot in Saint-Roch for redevelopment.

William Trudel confirmed last week that he and his brother and business partner Jonathan have big plans for what is known as Îlot Dorchester, a 100,000-square-foot lot bordered by Rues Saint-Vallier, Sainte-Hélène, Caron and Dorchester.

A May 31 report in Le Soleil provided details of the project, which would include a 20-storey hotel, hundreds of housing units and new commercial space. William Trudel would not confirm the details reported but did say his company has been consulting privately with concerned parties in the vicinity.

The Trudels bought the property for $6 million in 2022 after having managed the parking lot for another owner for several years previously. Over the years, several development projects have been proposed for the site but none moved beyond the planning stages.

The plan for a 20-storey hotel would require a change to the current zoning regulations, although a building of the same size, the Tour Fresk, was built in 2016 about a block away, on Rue de la Couronne. 

According to information Le Soleil gathered from people consulted about the project, it would include a large major brand grocery store to meet the needs of the Saint-Roch neighbourhood.

Plans for the Îlot Dorchester project would follow the strategy Trudel Alliance is employing in its other major redevelopments, incorporating a mix of housing with commercial space and public areas.

The company’s redevelopment of Place Fleur de Lys in Vanier is well underway, with projects also moving forward at Galeries Charlesbourg and Place Quatre-Bourgeois. 

Trudel spokesperson David Chabot told Le Soleil, “We do not want to comment on the current process out of respect for the citizens who have not yet been met. We are in voluntary consultation to measure the receptivity and interest of partners and citizens in relation to the proposed project.”

The QCT contacted City Hall to confirm the Ilot Dorchester project but did not receive a response by press time. 

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This map shows the large parking lot in Saint-Roch known as Îlot Dorchester, slated to become a hotel, residential and commercial complex. 

Image from Google Maps