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New Residential Construction Projects Being Built and Planned in Montreal for 2026 and 2027
By charles bilodeau
September 25, 2026 · 11 min read
Montreal's residential construction pipeline is one of the most active in Canada right now, with billions of dollars committed to new housing across the island in 2026 and into 2027. If you are buying, selling, or relocating, knowing what new residential construction projects are currently being built or planned in Montreal shapes how you think about neighbourhoods, pricing, and timing. This article maps out the major projects, the funding behind them, the new rules developers must follow, and what all of it means for you as a buyer or seller.

1. The Scale of Montreal's 2026 Construction Wave
Montreal is in the middle of a residential construction surge that is larger in scope than anything the city has seen in at least a decade. Thousands of units are either under active construction or have received approvals and funding commitments that will push shovels into the ground before the end of 2027. The projects span the full spectrum from market-rate condos and rental towers to affordable housing and social housing, and they are spread across nearly every borough on the island.
How Much Is Being Built Right Now
According to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation data, Montreal remained one of the top three Canadian cities for new housing starts through the first three quarters of 2026, with multi-unit residential projects accounting for the overwhelming share of activity. The city's own housing plan targets tens of thousands of new units by 2030, and the 2026 and 2027 construction pipeline represents the most concentrated delivery period within that plan. Projects range from 50-unit infill buildings in mature neighbourhoods like Rosemont and Villeray to master-planned communities of several hundred or several thousand units on large brownfield sites.
Government Funding Driving the Pipeline
Federal and provincial money is a direct accelerant for new residential construction projects currently being built or planned in Montreal. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation confirmed a major joint investment with the Quebec government specifically targeting new housing construction in Montreal, covering affordable rental, co-operative housing, and mixed-income residential projects. You can read the full announcement on the CMHC news release page. This kind of joint funding unlocks projects that private developers alone would not build at the price points Montreal needs, which is why so many of the headline projects you are hearing about in 2026 carry a public-private partnership structure.
2. The Biggest Projects Currently Under Way or Planned
Several specific developments stand out for their size, their location, or the degree to which they will reshape a neighbourhood's housing stock between now and 2027. Understanding these projects individually gives buyers and sellers a clearer picture of where new supply is coming from and what it looks like on the ground.
The Hippodrome Mega-Development in Côte-des-Neiges
The former Blue Bonnets Hippodrome site on Jean-Talon West is the single largest residential development project in Montreal's current pipeline. Ottawa and the City of Montreal committed an additional 320 million dollars to the Hippodrome project, as reported by CBC News, bringing total public investment to a scale that few Canadian urban housing projects have ever reached. The plan calls for approximately 6,000 residential units on the 45-hectare site, with a mix of market condos, affordable rental, social housing, and family-sized units. The first phases are already under construction in September 2026, with the earliest occupancies expected in 2027.
The Hippodrome site sits near the Namur and De la Savane metro stations on the Orange Line, which means residents will have direct access to downtown Montreal in under 20 minutes by transit. The masterplan also includes commercial space, a central park, and dedicated cycling infrastructure connecting to the existing Réseau Express Vélo network. For buyers watching this project, the phased delivery means units will come to market in waves rather than all at once, and pre-sale opportunities in later phases are expected to open through 2026 and into 2027.
Griffintown and Pointe-Saint-Charles Continued Growth
Griffintown's construction cycle is not slowing down in 2026. Several towers that broke ground in 2024 and 2025 are delivering units through 2026, while new project approvals continue to push the neighbourhood's residential footprint southward into Pointe-Saint-Charles. The area along Wellington Street and the Lachine Canal corridor now has multiple buildings in various stages of construction simultaneously, adding thousands of units to what was industrial land less than fifteen years ago. Typical new condo sizes in Griffintown run from studios around 400 square feet to two-bedroom units around 850 square feet, with list prices in the 400,000 to 750,000 dollar range depending on floor and finishes as of September 2026.
If you are considering a new condo in this corridor, it is worth reading through the specific considerations that come with buying in a neighbourhood that is still actively being built. The article Buying a Condo in Griffintown, Montreal: What You Need to Know covers the practical details, from condo fees on new builds to what to watch for in a preliminary contract.
REM-Linked Corridors: Bois-Franc, Kirkland, and Île-des-Soeurs
The Réseau express métropolitain light rail network has triggered a wave of transit-oriented residential construction at and around its stations. In Bois-Franc, on the island's northwest end, several mid-rise and high-rise projects are under construction within walking distance of the REM station, targeting buyers who want new construction with a direct rail link to downtown and the airport. Kirkland, at the western terminus of the REM, has seen approvals for new residential projects on former commercial land along Sources Boulevard, with buildings ranging from six to twenty storeys. Île-des-Soeurs, which sits on the South Shore branch of the REM, has multiple towers in active construction, adding to a neighbourhood that already had significant condo density.
Commute times from these REM-connected nodes to Central Station in downtown Montreal run roughly 20 minutes from Bois-Franc and 25 to 30 minutes from Kirkland, making them competitive with driving in most traffic conditions. New units in these corridors tend to be slightly larger than Griffintown product, with two and three-bedroom configurations more common, reflecting demand from buyers who want more space while maintaining transit access.
Large Infill Projects Across Central Boroughs
Beyond the headline mega-projects, dozens of mid-scale residential projects are under construction or in permitting across central Montreal boroughs in 2026. Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie has several projects of 80 to 200 units on former industrial or commercial parcels along Beaubien, Rosemont, and Masson streets. Villeray has seen approvals for low-rise and mid-rise residential buildings on lots that were previously underused commercial properties. Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve continues to attract developer interest given its relatively lower land costs compared to Plateau-Mont-Royal, with new projects concentrated around the Pie-IX Boulevard corridor and the future Pie-IX BRT route.
A reported 1,200-unit housing project planned for Montreal represents the kind of large-scale infill development that is reshaping several of these central boroughs at once. Projects at this scale take several years to deliver fully, so buyers who are watching the pipeline need to track both the pre-sale phase and the construction timeline carefully before committing.
3. New Rules Every Buyer of New Construction Must Understand
Montreal changed the rules for residential development in 2026, and those changes affect what gets built, where, and at what price. If you are buying a new construction unit or investing in a pre-sale project, you need to understand the regulatory environment that shaped the building you are buying into.
Montreal's Revised Affordable and Social Housing Requirements
The City of Montreal revised its rules for social, family, and affordable housing inclusion in new residential developments in 2026. Under the updated framework, developers of new residential projects above a certain size threshold must include a percentage of units that meet affordability criteria, social housing requirements, or family-sized unit minimums. The legal analysis firm BLG published a detailed breakdown of how Montreal's new real estate development rules work in practice, which is worth reading if you are a developer, investor, or buyer trying to understand what the inclusion requirements mean for a specific project you are evaluating.
What the 20% Rule Means in Practice
Montreal's inclusion policy has historically required roughly 20% of units in larger new projects to be set aside for social or affordable housing, though the specific percentages and thresholds were updated in the 2026 revision. For buyers of market-rate units in a mixed-income building, this means the building will include a range of unit types and ownership structures. For investors, it means understanding which units in a given project are eligible for short-term rental or standard resale, and which carry restrictions. For sellers of existing resale homes near major new projects, it means understanding how the incoming supply of affordable units may affect the competitive landscape for your listing.
If you are purchasing a new construction unit as an investment, the Investment Property Guide for Montreal, Quebec covers the key financial and legal considerations that apply to new builds specifically, including what to look for in a preliminary sales contract and how to evaluate projected rental income before a building is complete.
4. What the Construction Boom Means for Buyers and Sellers
A large pipeline of new residential construction projects affects the entire Montreal market, not just the buyers purchasing those new units. Understanding the ripple effects helps both buyers and sellers make better-timed decisions.
Buying New vs. Buying Resale in a Construction-Heavy Market
New construction in Montreal typically carries a price premium over comparable resale units in the same neighbourhood. In September 2026, new condo list prices in active construction zones like Griffintown, Bois-Franc, and the Hippodrome area are generally 10 to 20 percent above equivalent resale condos on a per-square-foot basis, reflecting the GST and QST applicable to new builds, the developer's profit margin, and the premium buyers pay for modern finishes and building warranties. Quebec's new home warranty program, administered through GCR (Garantie de construction résidentielle), covers new residential buildings for defects in materials and workmanship for up to five years, which is a meaningful protection that resale units do not carry.
The tax treatment of new construction is also different. Buyers of new residential units in Quebec pay both federal GST (5%) and provincial QST (9.975%) on the purchase price, though partial rebates are available for primary residences below certain price thresholds. On a 500,000 dollar new condo, the combined tax exposure before rebates is approximately 75,000 dollars, which is a cost that does not exist when buying a resale property. This is one of the most important financial distinctions to work through with your agent and notary before signing a preliminary contract.
How New Supply Affects Sellers in Nearby Neighbourhoods
Sellers in neighbourhoods adjacent to major new construction projects need to think carefully about timing and positioning. When a large project delivers hundreds of units over a short period, it temporarily increases the number of available listings in that price range, which gives buyers more negotiating leverage. Sellers of resale condos in Griffintown, for example, are competing not just with other resale listings but with brand-new units in the same buildings or on the same streets. The most effective counter to this is condition: a well-maintained, properly priced resale unit in a mature building with a healthy condo reserve fund can appeal to buyers who are wary of construction delays and the unknowns of a pre-sale purchase.
For a broader view of how supply and demand are playing out across Montreal's resale market right now, the Montreal, Quebec Real Estate Market Guide gives current price benchmarks and neighbourhood-level context that is useful when you are deciding whether to list now or wait.
5. How to Track Projects and Make a Smart Move
The new residential construction pipeline in Montreal is large enough that no single source captures all of it. Knowing where to look, and having a local expert who follows the market daily, gives you a real advantage whether you are buying, selling, or planning a relocation.
Where to Find Reliable Project Information
The City of Montreal's urban planning portal publishes approved project applications and zoning amendments, which is where large projects first appear in an official, publicly accessible form. CMHC's housing starts data, released monthly, gives a quantitative picture of how many units are actually breaking ground across the Montreal Census Metropolitan Area. Developer websites and pre-sale registrations are the most direct source for specific buildings, though marketing materials should always be read alongside the actual preliminary contract before you commit any deposit. For projects involving public funding, government press releases from the CMHC, the Société d'habitation du Québec, and the City of Montreal are the most reliable source of confirmed details on unit counts, timelines, and affordability commitments.
If you are relocating to Montreal from another city and trying to get a handle on the new construction landscape before you arrive, the article Who Should a Family Relocating to Montreal, Quebec Call to Find a Home explains how to structure your search and who to involve early in the process.
Working With a Local Expert
The gap between what is publicly announced about a new project and what actually matters to a buyer or seller is where local expertise earns its value. A press release about a 6,000-unit development does not tell you which phase is likely to deliver first, which unit types are selling fastest, or how the project's phasing schedule compares to your own moving timeline. Charles Bilodeau follows Montreal's construction pipeline closely and works with buyers and sellers across the boroughs where new development is most active, from Griffintown and the Hippodrome corridor to Rosemont, Bois-Franc, and beyond.
For buyers who are specifically weighing a new condo purchase in a central neighbourhood, the detailed breakdown in Buying a Condo in Le Plateau-Mont-Royal: What to Know Before You Make an Offer illustrates the kinds of questions you should be asking about any new or resale condo purchase in Montreal's active market.
FAQ
What is the largest new residential construction project currently planned in Montreal for 2026 and 2027?
The former Blue Bonnets Hippodrome site in Côte-des-Neiges is the largest single residential development in Montreal's current pipeline, with approximately 6,000 units planned across multiple phases on a 45-hectare site near the Namur and De la Savane metro stations. Ottawa and the City of Montreal committed an additional 320 million dollars to the project, bringing total public investment to an exceptional level for a Canadian urban housing development. The first phases are under active construction as of September 2026, with initial occupancies expected in 2027. The project includes market condos, affordable rental units, social housing, and family-sized units, along with commercial space and a central park. Pre-sale opportunities in later phases are expected to open through 2026 and into 2027.
Do buyers of new construction condos in Montreal pay different taxes than resale buyers?
Yes, and the difference is significant. New residential construction in Quebec is subject to both federal GST at 5% and provincial QST at 9.975%, which together can add roughly 15% to the purchase price before any rebates are applied. Partial rebates are available for buyers who will use the unit as their primary residence and where the purchase price falls below certain thresholds set by the federal and provincial governments. Resale properties in Quebec are generally exempt from GST and QST, which is one of the main reasons the all-in cost of a new build is higher than a comparable resale unit even when the list prices look similar. Working through the tax math with your notary and broker before signing a preliminary contract is essential.
How do Montreal's new affordable housing inclusion rules affect buyers of market-rate units in new projects?
Under Montreal's revised 2026 framework for social, family, and affordable housing in new residential developments, larger projects must include a percentage of units that meet affordability or social housing criteria alongside market-rate units. For buyers of market-rate units in these mixed-income buildings, the practical effect is that the building will contain a range of unit types and tenure structures, which can influence condo fee structures, building management, and resale dynamics over time. Investors need to verify which units in a given project carry restrictions on short-term rental or resale, as inclusion units often have conditions attached. The rules were updated in April 2026, so any project that received its approval after that date will be subject to the revised thresholds. Reviewing the declaration of co-ownership and the preliminary contract carefully with a legal professional is the best way to understand exactly what applies to a specific unit you are considering.