Bold Ottawa Mall Expansions Look Promising

The St. Laurent Shopping Mall in Ottawa could be transformed into a “major powerhouse” in Canada’s retail industry soon. The company that owns the 42-year-old mall, Morguard Investments, has filed a rezoning application with the City of Ottawa seeking a $200 million expansion.

That would catapult Ottawa’s largest mall, into 10th place on the list of Canada’s biggest malls. The interest, Morguard claims, is to make it the “best it can possibly be.” Morguard’s proposal comes as Bayshore Shopping Centre gears up to challenge a city zoning bylaw that prevents it from growing much beyond its present size.

A third mall in Ottawa, the Rideau Centre, dropped a proposal for expansion in 2006, but expects to proceed with one within three to five years, according to general manager Cindy Vanbuskirk.

It has been claimed that enclosed malls like St. Laurent and Bayshore have a promising future because aging consumers prefer them to open-air “power centres” such as Kanata’s Centrum.