Pointe-de-Sainte-Foy: relaunch initiated and restart of the clock on rue du Campanile

Rue du Campanile, in Pointe-de-Sainte-Foy, is regaining color after years of gloom. A project to acquire buildings by the IGA cooperative is on the table and for the first time in more than a decade, the emblematic clock on the street tells the time.

As citizens had long wished, the four-sided clock which sits at the top of the Campanile tower was put back into working order on Friday.

“For us, it’s a strong symbol,” says Jean-Luc Lavoie, president of the Campanile Business People’s Association. The “sign that we are now restarting the clock and that we can now hope for good days for the Campanile,” he says.

With the collaboration of the current manager of the private street, a new engine was purchased in the United States, as well as new needles. A watchmaker who works for Quebec City Hall and the Palais station was called upon. The operation is estimated at $15,000.

Wind of change

Another indicator of this wind of change: IGA Coop de Ste-Foy, owner of three supermarkets in the borough, including Campanile, is currently in discussions to buy two buildings and six commercial ground floors.

If the transaction, valued at more than $10 million, is concluded with owner André Trudel, the cooperative would become the main owner of the street “at the commercial level,” indicates Mr. Lavoie, who also wears the hat of president of IGA Coop from Ste-Foy.

“The Sainte-Foy coop belongs to the people of Sainte-Foy. There are 22,681 members who own it. So, it is not a single owner, on the contrary, it is the population of Sainte-Foy who will contribute to the prosperity of this artery,” underlines Mr. Lavoie, enthusiastically.

According to the latter, the artery with a European character, founded in 1986 by Industrielle Alliance, is in full recovery. The occupancy rate of commercial spaces and offices has reached 80%, after experiencing a low of 60% during the pandemic, he maintains.

In recent months, three businesses (a pizzeria, a barber and a clothing store) have opened.

Talks

“And our development plan is to fill all the premises. We have already made approaches to banners,” explains Mr. Lavoie. He mentions talks with a franchised store, a florist and a state company, which is not the SQDC.

According to him, the grouping of around thirty traders into a new merchant association a year ago was a breath of fresh air, facilitating access to subsidies and the creation of events. The street received support from the City, including a commercial rental assistance program which was like an “electric shock,” he says.

After repaving the street two years ago, we want to tackle the repair of the sidewalks in the next year, specifies Mr. Lavoie. A $25,000 grant also made it possible to install new LED lighting on two buildings.

“We’re going up the hill at high speed,” he says.

Campanile property manager David Garneau of Garneau & Shields Property Management was involved in repairing the clock. He confirmed to Newspaper the existence of the acquisition project with the IGA cooperative.