A largely barren piece of land east of Place des Arts is set to be converted into an urban plaza looking to rival the iconic Rockefeller Center plaza in size and splendour.
"It’s going to be vibrant, it’s going to be great,” Mayor Denis Coderre pledged on Sunday, adding it will be bigger and nicer than the sunken plaza outside 30 Rockefeller Center in New York City. “What I realized is that we don’t have enough parties [throughout the] year."
The $67.1 million Clark Esplanade will fill a 5,000-square-metre area at the corner of Clark St. and Ste-Catherine St. W.
In the summer, it will be set up as an extended terrasse, including food vendors and enough green space for a mobile stage and seating for outdoor concerts.
From November to March, it will be replaced with a refrigerated outdoor rink.
Work will begin this fall, with construction wrapping up by autumn 2019.
The Clark Esplanade is being paid by the provincial and federal governments using a joint infrastructure fund.
—with files from CTV Reporter Angela MacKenzie