Pointe-Nord on Nun’s Island is a unique community on a human scale

Pointe-Nord is a new community with old world European scale and charm, situated on the northern peninsula of Nun’s Island. Bordered by water on three sides, the St-Lawrence River and Montreal skyline are omnipresent; a pleasant reminder that this village-like community is just fifteen minutes from downtown Montreal. To the extent that any residential real estate purchase is also an investment, the reasonably priced townhomes and condominiums of Pointe-Nord will quite likely provide purchasers with a handsome return on their initial investment due to the development’s proximity to the city and Nun’s Island’s natural setting.

Pointe-Nord park-like development is bordered by the
St. Lawrence and the Montreal skyline

I recently met with Ilan Gewurz, Executive Vice-President of Proment; the company founded by his father Samuel Gewurz, who began the Nun’s Island development. “My father is the master developer of Nun’s Island, and his vision was to establish a development of high end tranquility in a country-like setting; a short distance from the city centre. As part of the overall plan, the company saved the forest on the island, and incorporated green spaces and parks throughout the neighbourhood. Pointe-Nord is the next generation of development, using technologies and environmental design features that simply didn’t exist forty-plus years ago. We also have what we believe to be unbeatable residential products at lower prices compared to other condominium developments.”

Indeed, as reported in a recent interview with The National Post the company patriarch stated; “If you could give customers lots of reasons for excitement and they can trust that the value is there and it’s going to retain that value, then you’ll find buyers.” Building on its reputation for quality construction, design and overall planning; this is exactly the path that the company has taken with Pointe-Nord. The buying public has been excited by the European village atmosphere in a park-like setting, just minutes from Montreal’s downtown. Importantly, the prices at Pointe-Nord can be $tens of thousands less than a comparable condominium downtown.

Streets were laid out to provide skyline
and river views

As we make our tour during a sunny afternoon, Ilan continues his description of the meticulous planning that has been invested in Pointe-Nord; “This peninsula that forms Pointe Nord is the largest remaining parcel of land on Nun’s Island, and we wanted to create a world-class community on the site. From the initial planning, we’ve put eight to ten years of research, consultation and planning into Pointe-Nord. We have tremendous physical assets, with water on three sides of the development.”

“We spent a lot of time educating ourselves about what makes a world-class community. And that led us to ask how we can create a sense of community. Great cities evolve over time, and we wanted to incorporate the best of those evolutions in Pointe-Nord. We consulted with the world-renowned Sasaki Urban Planning group, and hired Quebec architectural firms Jean-Pierre Bart and Lemay-Michaud to work together in a design committee. We had weekly meetings for five years that created some wonderful brainstorming sessions.”

From those sessions, the designers established four guiding principles for Pointe-Nord:

• To create a waterfront community and neighbourhood.
• To establish a walk-able urban village.
• To develop Canada’s first sustainable and only LEED residential towers, including the now complete Evolo 1 & 2 buildings.
• To provide unbeatable residential products with great living spaces at a lower price for purchasers.

The town piazza is a both a meeting place and venue for musical performances on warm summer evenings

The results of those planning sessions are evident in all facets of Pointe-Nord. “Montreal has a wonderful skyline our view of it is unique; so we decided to angle the main streets to provide a sightline right to downtown. The cross street views lead to the river. We’ve protected the green space along the riverbanks, creating walkways and cycle paths that connect to the rest of Nun’s Island. There’s a town piazza where people can gather for special events, such as our Tuesday evening concerts during the summer months. We have a natural riverside amphitheatre that converts to a skating rink in the winter months. To make that park user-friendly, we have installed public lounge chairs.”

“A major advantage for purchasers is that the infrastructure and several retail operations are already here. Stores, parks and recreational facilities are in place now. There are no large chain operations like MacDonald’s; rather – we have researched successful businesses and approached them about opening here. We have Mamie Clafoutis, a French bakery and coffee house from Le Plateau that became an overnight success with the community. Les Enfants Terribles has opened up the only waterfront restaurant on the island, and it too has become immensely popular. BMO has opened a boutique branch, which they tell me has the distinction of being the bank’s smallest branch in Canada. And we have supermarkets, pharmacies, restaurants, dry cleaners and other banking services available in the Nun’s Island commercial centre.”

The riverside cycling and walking paths are all in place, and link with other Nun’s Island routes

“The new Champlain Bridge will be constructed adjacent to the existing span, and there will be a light rail train station located within a short walk of Pointe-Nord.”

The residences of Evolo S come in a variety of configurations, from 625 to over 2,000 square feet; with all the finishing that you would expect in a high end condominium. However, the views of the St-Lawrence, the forest of Nun’s Island, and the Montreal skyline from the floor-to-ceiling windows are completely unique. There are model suites open for viewing in Evolo 2, which has available units.

The buildings have comfortable main floor lounges that have proven to be a popular meeting place for owners as they return home from work. Main floor fitness centres overlook the river and surrounding gardens with more floor-to-ceiling windows. The buildings have an indoor pool, spa and a seasonal outdoor pool.

However, the riverfront setting and Nun’s Island planned community make Pointe-Nord a unique residential proposition well worth the visit. Take some to time stroll through the community, stop in for a coffee and pastry, or enjoy lunch or dinner at Les Enfants Terribles.

The sales office and presentation is located at 121 Chemin de la Pointe-Nord, Île-des-soeurs, Montreal. Opening hours are: Monday to Friday from 11am to 7pm; Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 5pm Phone: 514-612-3373 Email: [email protected]