Article content

The dream of bringing baseball back to Montreal may have run into some competition.

Groupe Montréal, the consortium led by Stephen Bronfman, has its sights set on the Peel Basin for a new stadium to serve as home field for a reboot of the storied Expos franchise. A venue near downtown is a crucial component of their plan.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Allison Hanes: Baseball stadium vs. smart development in Montreal Back to video

But this week La Presse reported that construction giant Devimco is also eyeing that same spot for a new smart development of office towers, housing, hotels and public spaces. It is billing its project as an “employment hub” capable of attracting 600 companies and bringing 4,000 jobs.

It looks as if two groups of Quebec business heavyweights are getting set to square off over the federally owned tract south of downtown on the banks of the St. Lawrence River that Canada Lands Company is looking to redevelop.

In one corner is Bronfman’s group, which includes Mitch Garber, the chair and a co-investor in Cirque du Soleil, Eric Boyko, president and CEO of Stingray Digital, Stéphan Crétier, who created GardaWorld, Alain Bouchard, the co-founder and chair of Couche-Tard, and Pierre Boivin, the former president of the Montreal Canadiens.