Ville-Marie proposes incentive zoning tied to public benefits

Ville-Marie has proposed an incentive-zoning bylaw that would let certain real-estate projects use more generous height or density rules in exchange for specified public benefits.

For every replacement standard authorized under the proposal, a project would need to provide a related benefit. Examples include preserving a heritage building, creating a park or school, providing land for community facilities, using durable local materials or achieving environmental certification.

The borough also proposes expanding differentiated-zoning provisions for non-market housing. Those provisions could apply when a majority of a project’s homes are social or affordable, rather than only when every unit is non-market.

The rules are not yet final. A public consultation is scheduled for October 28 at 5:30 p.m. at 800 De Maisonneuve Boulevard East.

Source: Ville de Montréal, “Nouveau règlement pour favoriser la construction en échange de bénéfices”, published October 16, 2026.

Featured image: residential buildings; this illustrative image does not depict a specific Ville-Marie project. Photo by Daniel Brubaker via Unsplash; cropped and resized by West Island Blog.