Redevelopment projects in Montreal’s Chinatown core will require provincial approval after the area was declared a heritage site, says a commercial real estate lawyer.

Quebec’s culture minister must sign off on proposed building alterations, wrote Martin Thiboutout in a review of the area’s heritage classification. In compliance with the Cultural Heritage Act, developers must ensure that their plans respect a wide array of concerns regarding a property’s heritage, conservation and archaeology. Original building signs must be preserved as often as possible, along with a building’s exterior, ground and underground features.

Culture and Communications Minister Mathieu Lacombe declared the Chinatown core a heritage site in July. The designated area covers 10 buildings and 14 lots, wrote Thiboutout, who is based in McMillan’s Montreal office. Eva Langrais, a McMillan associate, co-authored the review.

The culture minister also classified two properties within the heritage site, the British and Canadian School and former S. Davis & Sons cigar factory, as heritage buildings.

Photo: Quebec Ministry of Culture and Communications