New Expos Stadium: Lots of Exciting Options

WHERE WILL THEY PLAY?

For a long time, the answer seemed almost automatic: in a new stadium built near downtown.

That was the conclusion of the major studies conducted on the return of Major League Baseball to Montreal and it was also the direction taken by Stephen Bronfman's group.

But in 2026, the situation is much more interesting.

On one hand, the Peanut Project is officially seeking land for a potential new Major League Baseball stadium and a mixed-use district.

On the other, Quebec is already investing 870 million dollars in the new roof for Olympic Stadium, with a reopening scheduled for 2028. And the government has just authorized a new planning phase aimed at modernizing the seating and hospitality spaces in the facility.

Two very different avenues are therefore beginning to take shape.

Build a true new Montreal ballpark?

Or transform Olympic Stadium enough for it to become home to a professional team again?

Before imagining our ideal stadium, let's start by clearly separating what actually exists from what we're going to propose ourselves.

WHAT ACTUALLY EXISTS

The Peanut Project is officially seeking land

This is the most recent development.

On September 4, 2026, the Peanut Project issued a call for land proposals to identify different sites that could potentially host a Major League Baseball stadium in Greater Montreal.

This is not a contest to immediately choose the Expos' future home field.

The approach is described as preliminary, exploratory and non-binding.

No franchise has been awarded to Montreal by MLB and no stadium is currently approved.

But the real estate search is very real.

And the document published by the Peanut Project tells us a lot about the type of site being sought.

The group favors sites located in or near downtown Montreal, particularly near the downtown core, Griffintown, Old Montreal and Bridge-Bonaventure.

Public transportation is an important priority: metro, REM, commuter rail, bus as well as pedestrian and cycling networks.

The group also places considerable importance on the possibility of walking to the stadium from residential neighborhoods, hotels, restaurants, tourist sectors and employment centers.

And most importantly, the Peanut Project isn't necessarily looking for a massive vacant lot.

It says it's open to industrial properties, underutilized land, parking lots, property assemblages and various redevelopment possibilities.

Why?

Because the objective far exceeds the stadium.

The Peanut Project is also seeking to create a mixed-use district with the stadium as the central element, with potential functions including entertainment, hospitality, retail, housing, culture and public spaces.

This is what's officially being sought today.

Montreal has been studying sites for over ten years

The discussion obviously didn't start in 2026.

In 2013, a feasibility study conducted by EY for Project Baseball Montreal and the Metropolitan Montreal Chamber of Commerce evaluated the potential return of an MLB franchise.

The study was based on an important premise: a new stadium located near downtown.

Five locations were examined:

• Bonaventure Highway;

• Wellington Basin;

• the former Montreal Children's Hospital;

• the Hippodrome;

• Olympic Stadium.

These are therefore genuine sites that were studied at the time, not our proposals.

The study notably emphasized the importance of downtown proximity, public transportation, land costs and necessary infrastructure.

The context has changed enormously since 2013. Some properties have evolved, urban projects have emerged and economic conditions are obviously no longer the same.

This list should therefore not be interpreted as the five current candidates of the Peanut Project.

It simply demonstrates that a significant portion of Montreal has already been analyzed in the past.

Bridge-Bonaventure has a genuine track record

The Bridge-Bonaventure area deserves special attention because it keeps appearing at several stages in the recent history of this file.

Wellington Basin was already among the sites analyzed in the 2013 study.

A few years later, the group led by Stephen Bronfman in turn took interest in the area as part of its project to bring baseball back to Montreal.

And today, Bridge-Bonaventure is explicitly named among the preferred areas in the Peanut Project's land search.

This doesn't mean Bridge-Bonaventure has been chosen.

But unlike some places you might simply imagine on a map, its association with a potential Montreal Major League Baseball stadium has a genuine documented history.

And meanwhile, Olympic Stadium is already under construction

This is where the situation becomes much more interesting.

While the Peanut Project seeks land for a potential new stadium, Montreal already has a facility with more than 50,000 seats undergoing major transformation.

The Quebec government authorized in 2024 the replacement of Olympic Stadium's roof at a cost of 870 million dollars.

This project is currently under way.

The old roof was dismantled in 2024.

In 2025, work focused on dismantling and rebuilding the technical ring.

And the 2026-2027 phase involves manufacturing, assembly and installation of the new roof.

The project is therefore very real and well advanced.

Photos released by Parc olympique during summer 2026 show notably the new structures, cables, roof trusses, metal decking, insulation and vapor barrier being installed.

Stadium reopening is scheduled for 2028.

One important detail should also be clarified: the new roof will be fixed, not retractable.

It must allow the Stadium to return to year-round operations.

And now, Quebec also wants to modernize the interior

This is probably the element that most changes the conversation when discussing a potential Expos return.

On July 17, 2026, the Quebec government authorized Parc olympique to undertake a new technical development phase to modernize Olympic Stadium's interior.

Two elements are specifically targeted.

The seating.

And the hospitality spaces, notably the suites.

For seating, the announced objective is to bring spectators closer to the action and improve sightlines.

For hospitality spaces, Quebec wants to offer an experience more comparable to that of major modern facilities.

And one passage from the government announcement is particularly interesting when thinking about baseball.

Among the objectives of this modernization is the possibility of allowing the Stadium to conclude long-term residency agreements with professional sports teams.

Be careful though.

This absolutely does not mean Quebec is renovating Olympic Stadium for the Expos.

No official announcement makes this connection.

No agreement with a baseball franchise exists.

And the technical development of new seating and hospitality spaces doesn't yet mean all of this work will automatically be completed.

Parc olympique must notably work on technical solutions and negotiate financial contributions from private partners before a possible inclusion of the work in the Quebec Infrastructure Plan 2027-2037.

But one thing is now certain:

we can no longer analyze Olympic Stadium as if it were still the one the Expos left in 2004.

The building is already undergoing transformation and its interior could be further transformed.

WHAT DOESN'T EXIST YET

Before going further, here's exactly where we stand.

There is currently no approved new Expos stadium.

The Peanut Project has chosen no land.

MLB has awarded no franchise to Montreal.

There is no official plan announcing the Expos will return to Olympic Stadium.

There is also no official project to transform Olympic Stadium's interior specifically for Major League Baseball.

The new roof for Olympic Stadium is real and under construction.

The modernization of seating and hospitality spaces is officially in technical development.

The Peanut Project's land search is real.

Everything that follows now comes from us.

OUR PROPOSALS: NOW WE HAVE FUN

Based on existing projects and known criteria, let's imagine what we would do if given carte blanche.

These are not the Peanut Project's plans.

These are not the government's plans.

These are simply our concepts for the new Expos.

OUR CONCEPT 1: Radically Transform Olympic Stadium

A few years ago, we probably would have placed this option much lower.

Today, it deserves to be completely re-evaluated.

Why?

Because the 870-million-dollar roof is already under construction.

Because the Stadium will reopen in 2028.

Because Quebec is now working on new seating and new hospitality spaces.

And because the official objective includes the possibility of hosting a professional team in long-term residency.

So let's take the exercise to its conclusion.

What we would do

We absolutely would not simply put a baseball field in the middle of the current Olympic Stadium.

We would transform the interior experience.

Our first priority would be to bring spectators much closer to the diamond.

The old Expos played in a multipurpose facility. Some sections were far too far from the field and 20,000 spectators could seem lost in a massive building.

So we would seek a true baseball configuration.

About 30,000 to 35,000 seats available for regular games, with the possibility of opening more sections for major events.

Unused upper levels could be masked or visually integrated to create a much more intimate facility.

We would add terraces behind the outfield, restaurants overlooking the field, new suites, standing-room sections and large social spaces.

The objective would be strange but fascinating:

build a modern ballpark inside Olympic Stadium.

And since the new fixed roof is already under construction, we obviously wouldn't invent a retractable roof.

Our model would respect the Stadium's exterior architecture and its future actual roof, but would completely reimagine the baseball experience inside.

Why it could be interesting

The infrastructure already exists.

The Pie-IX Metro station comes directly to Parc olympique.

The site can accommodate many people.

And above all, a considerable portion of the investments needed for the overall upgrade of the Stadium are already committed independently of a potential Expos return.

This doesn't mean converting the interior for MLB would be economical.

We have no figures today allowing us to confirm that.

But the scenario now deserves to be studied much more seriously than it would have been a few years ago.

CONCEPT 2: Bridge-Bonaventure: Build the True New Expos Ballpark

If we instead chose to start from scratch, Bridge-Bonaventure would be our first choice.

Here again, the area is real.

Its baseball history is real.

Its interest in the current Peanut Project search is real.

But our stadium would be entirely fictional.

What we would build

A stadium of about 32,000 seats.

Compact.

Outdoor.

Very urban.

And above all oriented so Montreal becomes part of the show.

We would seek a spectacular view of downtown behind the outfield.

Architecturally, we would avoid a generic futuristic stadium.

Instead, we would use materials associated with Montreal's industrial character: brick, steel, glass and wood.

The stadium would then be surrounded by a true district.

Restaurants.

Bars.

Microbreweries.

Hotel.

Housing.

Offices.

Public squares.

The goal would be to be able to visit the "Expos district" even when there's no game.

And during the 81 days of baseball, the stadium would become its heart.

CONCEPT 3: A Stadium on the St. Lawrence

This is our postcard scenario.

We don't claim to have identified today a specific, available and feasible riverfront property.

That's important.

This scenario is purely conceptual.

But imagine an assemblage of properties allowed building a stadium close enough to the St. Lawrence.

We would then make the river the ballpark's visual signature.

A stadium of about 30,000 to 32,000 seats.

A large opening behind the outfield.

The river visible.

Bridges in the distance.

A public promenade around part of the stadium.

Terraces overlooking the water.

The objective would be for a televised image of a game to immediately allow recognition of Montreal.

San Francisco has its bay.

Pittsburgh has its bridges.

Baltimore has Camden Yards.

Montreal would have the St. Lawrence.

Probably our most beautiful concept.

Possibly our least realistic.

But we said we were having fun.

CONCEPT 4: The Downtown Stadium

Last proposal: go even further in urban integration.

Here, we don't necessarily want a huge district built around the stadium.

We want to insert the stadium directly into the existing city.

A compact property.

Buildings all around.

A hotel with rooms overlooking the field.

Ground-floor restaurants.

Housing.

Offices.

Pedestrian plazas.

Baseball would literally be part of downtown.

Finish work.

Walk to the stadium.

Have dinner.

Watch the Expos.

Head home by metro.

For a team that must attract spectators 81 times a year, this ease of use could be extremely important.

SO, NEW STADIUM OR OLYMPIC STADIUM?

It's ultimately the most interesting question.

And unlike what could have been written a few years ago, the answer is no longer obvious.

The new stadium scenario has considerable advantages.

You could build from the start a facility designed solely for baseball.

Choose the ideal capacity.

Create proper sightlines.

Integrate modern technologies.

Choose exactly the field orientation.

And above all develop an entire district around the team.

This is precisely the type of possibility the Peanut Project is currently seeking.

But Olympic Stadium now has an argument it didn't have before:

Quebec is already massively investing in it.

The roof is no longer a promise.

It's under construction.

The 2028 reopening is planned.

And the government is officially working on interior modernization aimed notably at bringing spectators closer to the action and enabling long-term professional sports residencies.

This doesn't make Olympic Stadium the future home of the Expos.

But it now makes it a scenario that would be difficult to ignore.

OUR RANKING, FOR FUN

If we had to rank the four scenarios today without claiming to know the final financial constraints, our ranking would probably be this.

1. Bridge-Bonaventure — the new ballpark

It's still our dream.

A stadium built specifically for baseball, near downtown, surrounded by a true Expos district.

2. Olympic Stadium 2.0

It's now our great curiosity.

Not a nostalgic return to the 2004 Stadium.

A radical transformation of the interior of a facility whose roof and several infrastructures are already undergoing major modernization.

3. St. Lawrence

The visual dream.

Potentially one of the most beautiful baseball stadiums if a property actually existed to realize it.

4. Downtown Ballpark

The most urban scenario: compact, dense and completely integrated into Montreal.

And this ranking could change.

Because we don't yet know what properties will be proposed to the Peanut Project.

Because we don't yet know what final form Olympic Stadium's interior modernization could take.

And above all because Montreal hasn't yet obtained a franchise.

Two projects are now advancing in parallel

This is perhaps the most fascinating thing about this entire story.

At one location in Montreal, a stadium with more than 50,000 seats is already being rebuilt and modernized.

Elsewhere, a group wanting to bring the Expos back is asking Montreal property owners to propose land to potentially build another one.

These two efforts are officially unrelated.

The Quebec government has not announced it's preparing Olympic Stadium for the Expos.

And the Peanut Project has not announced it's abandoning the idea of a new stadium to return to Parc olympique.

But if Montreal truly becomes a candidate for MLB expansion, the question will inevitably come up.

Build?

Or transform?

A new 32,000-seat ballpark with Montreal behind the outfield?

Or a completely modernized Olympic Stadium, with seating brought close to the field and a new generation of fans under its new roof?

For now, nobody knows the answer.

And that's precisely what makes the exercise so interesting.

The real projects are moving forward. Our models can now begin.