PHASE 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

OCTOBER 2024: Development orientations plan (Sir George Williams Campus)

Mandate

The Concordia University Master Plan serves as a strategic tool for real estate development at the Loyola and Sir George Williams campuses for the next 15 years.

With a long-term projected growth of up to 128,000 square metres, large-scale development initiatives are necessary on both campuses. These projects will address diverse urban planning and regulatory contexts, each presenting unique challenges.

The plan emphasizes a sensitivity to campus heritage and identity, honouring Concordia's educational legacy while considering the historical context of the campuses and their surrounding environments.

Objectives

Objectives of the plan are as follows:

Promoting healthy growth at Concordia from now until 2030 to 2035.
Updating the physical space program to reflect evolving teaching and research needs.
Preserving the distinctive values and elements of large institutional properties.
Redeveloping and optimizing the institutional property at Loyola in coexistence with the residential environment.
Redeveloping and optimizing the built environment at the Sir George Williams Campus in Quartier Concordia.
Engagement for the Campus Master Plan from the university, local residents and the Montreal community.

Working approach

The elaboration of the Campus Master Plan is rooted in a strategic, integrated process that aligns with the City of Montreal's regulatory frameworks.

Collaborative efforts with the city began early to ensure Concordia's strategies are in harmony with municipal development policies. An ongoing consultation process will support the Campus Master Plan to align with the collective vision of the Concordia community.

The development process is structured in four phases, the third of which was recently completed:

Phase 1: Portrait of the campuses today

(August 2020 to March 2021)

Conducted a thorough assessment of the university's two campuses.
Organized consultations with borough representatives and city departments to validate findings.
Engaged internal partners in an Integrated Design Process (IDP).

Phase 2: Planning and development orientations

(March to August 2021)

Established the master plan framework, including vision, guiding principles, filters and planning guidelines.
Defined development directions to clarify the development intentions.
Conducted ideation sessions to foster collaboration and create a unified vision.
Launched a website and public consultation platform and formed a multidisciplinary working group.

Phase 3: Campus development scenarios

(August 2021 to October 2024)

Explored development scenarios for the Sir George Williams Campus, focusing on densification options.
Collaborated with the City of Montreal and the Ville-Marie borough, deciding against a regulatory framework in favour of project-based evaluations.
Conducted two IDP workshops and two participatory online activities to engage partners.
Experienced delays due to discussions with municipal authorities and finalizing the Loyola Campus document.

Phase 4: Release of the Campus Master Plan

The focus will be on adopting the Campus Master Plan through an internal process, including feedback to partners.
The Loyola Campus parameters will be integrated into the city's and borough’s regulatory tools.
The Sir George Williams Campus future development projects will require regulatory concordance under the Société Québécoise des Infrastructures’s (SQI) major project approach.

Activities completed to date

To foster collaboration and ensure social acceptability, the following activities have been completed:

Five IDP workshops with partners from Concordia, the City of Montreal and boroughs.
Meetings with the City of Montreal Steering Committee.
Engagement activities on the online public consultation platform.
Meetings with campus neighbours and university partners.
A public information session on the Loyola Campus scenario.

Results

Phase 3 defined general planning criteria for the Sir George Williams Campus through an exploratory consultation process.

Exploratory approach

The approach evaluated future development zones on the Sir George Williams Campus, leading to a synthesis presented to the city and borough.

Discussions revealed that the Campus Master Plan’s scale lacks the precision necessary to evaluate heritage aspects and the quality of proposed replacement projects in the designated development zones for the Sir George Williams Campus.

Project approval process

Concordia and the City of Montreal opted for a project-based approval model rather than a comprehensive regulatory framework. Individual development projects will have to adhere to the PPCMOI (or "procédure de projet particulier de construction, de modification ou d’occupation d’un immeuble " in French) approach process and comply with the SQI’s directives.

General planning criteria

The general planning criteria of the Campus Master Plan for the Sir George Williams Campus concentrated on developing guidelines and potential actions resulting from the collaboration with the city and the consultation activities. The planning criteria focused on achieving harmonious and sustainable development in Quartier Concordia. Key themes include:

Built environment and heritage
Sustainable mobility
Outdoor spaces
Design of indoor and outdoor areas

Implementation of the master plan and further studies

Implementing the master plan will allow the university to concretely express its development goals.

A monitoring committee should be established to guide project partners, monitor progress and address any challenges. This committee will regularly update the plan and promote its use within the university community to ensure ongoing commitment to its implementation and funding.