Redeveloping Carrefour Laval Into a Mixed Use District (Parking, Transit, ESG, Returns)

Cadillac Fairview has been shaping downtown Montreal for decades, but the next chapter is about turning legacy retail land into full neighborhoods. In this episode, Axel Monsaingeon sits down with Jeroen Henrich, Senior Vice President of Development at Cadillac Fairview, to break down the shift from condos to rentals, why underutilized parking fields are now some of the most valuable real estate in Quebec, and how mega-sites like Carrefour Laval get redeveloped without hurting retail performance. They dig into master planning as "3D chess", transit and infrastructure constraints, ESG fundamentals that actually move the needle, and the underwriting discipline required when construction costs and capital markets turn volatile.   Topics & Timestamps ⏱️ 00:01:03 – Cadillac Fairview in Montreal 🏢 00:01:56 – Downtown revival & rentals 📈 00:04:59 – Residential growth strategy 📍 00:06:08 – Why Laval matters ♟️ 00:09:28 – Redevelopment complexity 🏫 00:12:32 – City priorities & tradeoffs 🌿 00:15:46 – ESG fundamentals 📐 00:16:55 – Densification logic 🌙 00:19:46 – 24-hour neighborhoods 🎯 00:21:57 – What great plans need 🌍 00:23:18 – Global inspiration 🧠 00:25:01 – Smarter parking tech ⏳ 00:26:00 – Long-term outcomes 💰 00:27:31 – Capital expectations 📉 00:28:20 – Market reality check 🧮 00:29:21 – Underwriting discipline ✅ 00:31:03 – Closing thoughts   Jeroen's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeroenhenrich/?originalSubdomain=ca Web: https://www.cadillacfairview.com/   If this conversation brought you value, share the episode with a colleague or friend in real estate who would benefit from Mike's insights. It helps the show reach more people in the Montreal CRE community. Visit https://www.e5pace.com for more resources, market guides, data, and advertising opportunities