A real estate promoter is looking to turn Vaudreuil-Dorion into a retail hub for residents living off the western tip of the island.
Three shopping malls, located near the town's major highways, are being built or renovated now, and a fourth one is on the drawing board.
Vaudreuil-Dorion-based real estate company Harden is giving the malls a common identity: Les Avenues Vaudreuil. Part of that will mean the existing ones will change their names: the Mega Centre Vaudreuil and the Place Cité Vaudreuil (where Costco is) will change their names. The Mega Centre will become l'Avenue Mode (Fashion Avenue), while the second will be billed as l'Avenue Marché (Market Avenue). The one that's being built will be called Avenue Loisir (Leisure Avenue).
The fourth part of that identity has not yet been determined.
Harden's founder and president Bill Harden says the entire project is also expected to include no less than 225 stores, office towers and a concert hall — all spread out over a total of 4.8 million square feet of land.
"We're going to be creating this new major hub for people coming to the area, not only locally, but from other municipalities surrounding Vaudreuil-Dorion, and tourists," Harden says.
Harden also says he wants to take advantage of the booming growth off the western tip of the island of Montreal.
"The demand is here, the growth is here," Harden says. "There are many young families moving into this area. There are people form the outlying areas, including from the West Island that are moving here. It's just a very dynamic area."
Harden also says the project is distinct from the Dix30 concept in Brossard, and the proposed Royalmount project in Town of Mount Royal.
"It's not really comparable," he says. "In this case, we've got four distinct sites separated by three main avenues. But what we're doing is very cohesive, because we're creating an environment in Vaudreuil-Dorion which is going to cater to not only to the families of this area, but the outlying areas and also, tourists."
Harden expects the entire project to be complete by the end of 2018.