The proposal outlines plans for the Saint-Henri Annex, a 4-story, 80,000 square foot public training center near the new McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) Glen Campus in Montreal. The project aims to create social and economic connections between the Saint-Henri community and the hospital by providing educational, business, and community spaces. Specifically, it will include classrooms and offices for healthcare training, ground-level retail, and open floor space for conferences and offices. The $16 million project is expected to be funded one-third by the government, with rents from the non-public spaces providing revenue.

2. 1

3. “ In November 2004, we confirmed our commitment to this commu-
nity by signing a partnership agreement with the Inter-Neighbour-
”
hood Coalition. Not only does this agreement ensure open dialogue
with the community, but it also promotes potential employability,
environmental protection, economic development and accessibility. 2
– MUHC on its work to strengthen ties with the communities around the new
Glen Campus.
THE SAINT-HENRI ANNEX PROJECT PROPOSAL
Alex Carruthers - Taleen Der Haroutiounian - Etienne Faucher - Megan Rolph
February 2010

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5. PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Saint-Henri Annex is a semi-public, non-profit, training facility designed to create a social and eco-
nomic connection between the Saint-Henri community and the new McGill University Health Centre
(MUHC) Glen Campus. Made possible through a close collaboration between the Commission scolaire
de Montreal (CSDM), the Regroupement économique et social du Sud-Ouest (RESO) and the MUHC, it
capitalizes on its physical proximity to the Glen Campus by providing complementary uses that will serve
both the community and the hospital.
4
This 4-storey, 80,000 sq. ft public training centre will become a dynamic pole for educational, business
and leisure activities. It will include:
• 21,000 sq. ft of classrooms and offices for a training facility geared to providing instruction for a
variety of occupations in the health care sector.
• 23,000 sq. ft of ground-level retail, which will have grocers, cafes and other shops geared to the
local community.
• 34,000 sq. ft of open floor space for conferences, community use, and open concept office space.
The project is expected to cost an estimated $16 million, with a third of the costs to be covered by the
government and other public agencies. The public investment will be used to help subsidize the training
facility and community space, while the office and retail space will be charged market rates. The rents
from the non-public uses, as well as from advertising on the structure will be the primary sources of rev-
enue for the Saint-Henri Annex.

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Saint-Henri
Les Tanneries

7. ThE bIg PICTuRE
This project is located on the Island of Montreal along the western edge of Saint-Henri at the corner of rue de Courcelle and rue
Saint-Jacques Ouest. Saint-Henri was an active factory town where an industrial land use prevailed. Today, it has grown into a
quiet community that contains traces of its industrial past within a current mix of residential, commercial and institutional build-
ings. The project’s immediate surroundings reflect the crossing point between the different types of uses present in Saint-Henri.
An appreciation of the neighborhood’s requirements and concerns was critical for conceiving of a project that helps to link the
Hospital and the community. The following is a list of considerations from the community surrounding the Annex project.
MUHC Home Depot 6
A Growing healthcare sector Continued operation of their store
Health care personnel shortfalls Good neighbourhood relations
Integrating with surrounding Community Retention of highway visibility
Tanneries Village RCA Complex
Between two Megaprojects Heritage property development
Lack of quality public space Creating a link to the hospital
Lacking amenities Food local cafe A market for new back-lot construction
Province St Henri
Highway awkwardly dividing neighbours Under employed local population
FTQ Development plans on the corner Local heritage
Integrating 500 new low income residents Stewardship of healthy local community

8. Employment
ac
ce
ssib greening
ilit
y
ty
i vi
ec t
greening con n
7
Community involvement
Partnerships

9. COnCEPT
The Saint-Henri Annex is a development that will meet the needs of the community and the demands of the MUHC. The
proposed training facility will open up new employment opportunities for the residents of Saint-Henri while satisfying
the increasing demand for health care workers at the hospital. The development of a multi-purpose training facility seeks
to address the social and economic disparities existing in the neighbourhood. It will also provide much needed amenities,
community space, and social services for the area’s residents. The following is a list of considerations for the Annex’s
neighbours.
The Annex aspires to create new physical, social and economic connections to the hospital through the education and em- 8
ployment of Saint-Henri residents.
The Annex will help to address the looming labour shortages in the healthcare sector due to the “greying of the population.”
The imminent retirement of many healthcare professionals in combination with swelled demand for health care services
from our aging demographic will cause a major strain on Quebec’s healthcare system. Action must be taken quickly to
ensure there are enough trained healthcare workers to meet these future needs. Furthermore, the changing structure of the
health care system has led to more specialized occupations and the downloading of work to lower level occupations, creat-
ing demand for workers such as beneficiaries, assistant nurses, pharmaceutical assistants and medical secretaries. RESO,
whose responsibility is to develop strategies to promote job creation in the South-West Borough, should work closely with
the Saint-Henri Annex to create opportunities for the residents of the Borough from the forthcoming challenges that face
the Quebec healthcare sector.

10. PART I – SITE FACTS
The project site is situated on a 31,000 square foot The Saint-Henri Annex project maximizes the
triangular-shaped plot of land at the corner of rue potential of the site while conforming to all of
de Courcelle and rue Saint-Jacques. Its third edge the zoning by-laws and requirements set by the
is bound by both the Hwy. 720 overpass and the Sud-Ouest borough (see Table 1), other than a
Saint-Jacques Escarpment. minor variance to include institutional uses on
the site.
The land is currently divided into eight lots. Of
these, two are owned by a private landowner,
9 while the remaining lots are owned by the City of
Montreal. Existing structures on the land include
a small, vacant, 2-storey building on the private
landowner’s property, and a large billboard pole
that contains two advertising sides facing the ve-
hicular traffic on the Hwy. 720 overpass.

11. PART II – ThE buILDIng
The design of the proposed building reflects the role of the building and serve as a sustainable technical
of the Saint-Henri Annex as the point of interaction remedy to absorb stormwater and reduce the heat is-
between Saint-Henri and the MUHC Glen Campus. land effect of the immediate area.
The portion of the building that fronts rue de
Courcelle is a 4-storey (approximately 12.5m) rect-
angular building designed in a traditional style with
brick and steel to pay homage to Saint-Henri’s ex-
isting built heritage and industrial past.
The 4-storey glass and
steel structure fronting 10
rue Saint-Jacques follows
the triangular shape of
the lot’s remaining area.
Its street facade takes full
advantage of the site’s
southern exposure, and its
wavy shape invites pedestrians to
the Villages des Tanneries and a path
leading up to the MUHC Glen Campus. A
one-storey, below-grade parking lot with ap-
proximately 50 parking spaces is located directly
underneath the building.
As a building for the people of Saint-Henri, the build-
ing is designed to maximize the pedestrian-friendly
environment and minimize its environmental impact.
The top two storeys are set back from the property
line to create a comfortable environment for pedes-
trians while integrating with the facade height of the
surrounding buildings. Extensive green roofs will
contribute to create more pleasant views

12. DIVISIOn OF SPACE
TRAINING FACILITY GROUND FLOOR RETAIL
The top three storeys fronting on rue de Courcelle will contain A cafe, bakery, small grocer and pharmacy – these are the types
classrooms and laboratories exclusively for job training in health of retail the Saint-Henri Annex project is designed to attract on
care related services. One possible tenant is a nurse training pro- the ground level of the building to serve both the MUHC and
gram currently offered by the Centre de Saint-Raymond, which is Saint-Henri. The project’s location, and the density of the sur-
managed in partnership with the City of Montreal and the CSDM, rounding area, makes the addition of retail very feasible and
located in Notre-Dame-De-Grâce. The nursing program current- attractive. The configuration of the road network puts the Saint-
ly occupies three classrooms and one computer lab but they have Henri Annex project at the crossroads of important arteries
expressed an interest to enlarge their facilities. The ample class- which ensure strong accessibility of the site to potential clients.
11 room and office space offered in this building, and its proximity Storefronts facing both rue Saint-Jacques and rue de Courcelle
to the MUHC Glen Campus, would provide a suitable option for will benefit from the MUHC employees and residents of the Vil-
their expansion. lages des Tanneries passing by throughout the day. Development
at the RCA building and the affordable housing project across
the street will increase pedestrian and vehicular activity. More-
over, there is a current demand for small-scale retail to serve the
community residents in this area
of Saint-Henri.

13. DIVISIOn OF SPACE
OPEN-CONCEPT OFFICE SPACE
Flexible, open-concept office spaces that can be
transformed to meet the needs of the community and
the MUHC are located on the top three storeys of the
portion of the building fronting rue Saint-Jacques.
The generous floor space provides enough room
to meet the needs of companies that are seeking an
open-concept work space. The MUHC is also antici-
pating a need for a large space located off the Glen
Campus grounds that can be rented occasionally for 12
conferences or job recruitment fairs, the proposed
open-concept floor plan will easily accommodate
these activities. These flexible and adaptable office
spaces could also be used for other social services,
such as an employment centre or a day care facility
for the residents of Saint-Henri.

14. OuTDOOR PubLIC SPACE
The remaining space on the Saint-Henri Annex lot will serve as Saint-Jacques Escarpment situated behind the building un-
an attractive interface between the building and its surround- der the Hwy. 720 overpass. This escarpment has a history of
ings while providing both environmental and social benefits. eroding and causing mudslides, and unless the escarpment
There will be a landscaped public space with seating, bike racks is landscaped with erosion-prevention methods this prob-
and a public fountain on the corner of rue Saint-Jacques and rue lem will only get worse with the stormwater runoff from the
de Courcelle. Bollards and other traffic-calming design features MUHC Glen Campus. Landscaping the escarpment will also
will be located along rue Saint-Jacques to protect and insulate create a connecting corridor between the Saint-Henri Annex
people using this space from the high volume of speeding traf- project site and the green space on the MUHC Glen Cam-
fic that exists along this corridor. This public space will form a pus.
connection with the public community garden found across rue
Saint-Jacques in the Village des Tanneries and with the open Development of open space areas can also benefit from a
13
space across the intersection. partnership with Home Depot to assist in the landscaping.
Home Depot’s previous work in the Village des Tanneries
Although outside the Saint-Henri Annex project boundaries, it demonstrates its com
is highly recommended that landscaping take place on the

15. OuTDOOR PubLIC SPACE
mitment to community involvement. Funding is al- Saint-Jacques to help buffer pedestrians from the
ready available through the Home Depot’s “Building traffic along the busy corridor. On street parking
Healthy Communities” grants which are awarded would also help support the retail businesses lo-
to registered non-profit organizations. One of these cated on the ground-floor of the Annex.
grants was used in a similar project to landscape and
incorporate a mountain bike trail under the Interstate
5 Highway in Seattle, Washington. Most important-
ly, a partnership to landscape the Saint-Henri Annex
project will give Home Depot the opportunity to be-
come involved in the process of connecting the com-
munity and MUHC on this site. 14
Underground parking for 50 cars will be provided
underneath the Saint-Henri Annex, free of charge.
Parking will be provided for the teachers and stu-
dents of the training facility, for the office tenants,
and for those wishing to park in order to shop at the
various retail outlets. It is also recommended that on
street parking be considered on the north side of rue

16. mercial space to be rented, allowing for a variety
of retail opportunities in the Saint-Henri Annex.
There is also a significant amount of space for of-
fices, with 34,000 square feet, allowing for ap-
proximately 153 office units at $21 a square foot.
PART III – FINANCIAL FEASABILITY Classrooms have also been included as a small
revenue source. They are charged the lowest
COSTS rents, at $12 a square foot, with an area to allow
for 30 classrooms in the building. Based on these
The total cost of the Saint-Henri Annex is rough- revenue streams, the building will need to charge
ly $16 million. A third of the principle costs will on average $23 a square foot in order to ensure a
be covered by the government, which is approxi- positive net present value. A final revenue source
mately $5.5 million. Due to the public nature will come from advertising, which presently ex-
and potential social benefits of the Saint-Henri ists on the site. Advertising draws $240,000 in
Annex, a government grant will be the primary revenue every year which will be used to help
source of equity. Beyond the costs of land ac- subsidize the training facility.
quisition, construction, and demolition, costs
have been incorporated for soil decontamination PRO FORMA
for the entire site, up to two metres deep. Also
included is green roofing for the portion of the Based on the costs and revenues discussed above,
building facing rue Saint-Jacques. Furthermore, a financial feasibility study was conducted. Inter-
the project includes one level of underground est rates have been set at 5%, amortized over a
parking for up to 50 cars. The cost table shows 20 year period. Inflation has been included at 3%
the cost per square foot, the area, total costs, and and applied to both rents and advertising revenue.
the weighted average per square foot of $146 (not Based on these assumptions this plan will have a
including land acquisition), which is used in the Net Present Value of $826,271, a Return on In-
final pro forma. vestment of 8%, a Return on Equity of 12% and
an Internal Rate of Return of 10%. With these re-
REVENUES turns, the Saint-Henri is financially feasible and
a worthwhile investment for the long-term eco-
Revenue sources include ground floor commer- nomic health of the community.
cial: which is charged the highest rents at $36/
square foot, to help fund the building’s other
uses. There is roughly 23,000 square feet of com-