Le Riverain had been owned by the Gatineau-based Katasa Group since 2006. The Katasa Group found itself in turmoil in 2020 when it owned the private CHSLD Herron in Dorval, where 47 people died during the first wave of COVID-19.
According to research by La Voix de l’Est, the shareholders of Rebel Investissement, until recently known as the Rebel Hotel, are among the group of buyers who bought the building that housed the CHSLD Herron last year.
Rebel Investissement general manager Jean-Charles Goyeche said on Thursday he could not yet say exactly which project would be implemented in the seven-story building rising in downtown Granby. No official project has yet been submitted to the city administration, he said.
“We are in constant contact with the city, but no project has been submitted to receive approvals,” says Mr. Goyeche. This will happen in the coming weeks.”
Loupiot stays
One thing is certain, affirms Jean-Charles Goyeche: there will be no changes to the commercial activities already present on the ground floor with the café area and the Loupiot boutique.
“Very good news,” said the company’s owner, Marie-Hélène Gibeault.
Incidentally, Devcore and Rebel Investissement have “different asset classes” in their respective real estate portfolios, notes Mr. Goyeche. “We want to have a project that meets both the city’s expectations and social concerns,” he said. There is sound planning for us.”
The previous owner had once considered renovating and adding a twelve-story tower to the current two-story portion of the building. The project never came to fruition.
The expansion of the building is still part of the considerations, confirms Jean-Charles Goyeche. “But we’re not there yet,” he says. We have to focus on what we have now.”
According to their respective websites, Devcore manages and owns nearly 3,000 residential units in Ontario and Quebec, while Rebel Investissement focuses on “the revaluation of assets to create community apartments, studios or multi-family homes.”
Le Riverain unexpectedly closed its doors last year. This decision was described as “cavalier” by residents, who had little time to find a new roof during this time of housing crisis. Around thirty people also lost their jobs.