General Update/Rumour thread [Urban Ottawa]

[jcphoenix]

Whenever we used to come to Ottawa when I was a kid growing up in a small town, St. Laurent was our go-to mall, followed by Bayshore occasionally, and almost never Rideau. Funny enough that now it's the exact inverse for me.

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by jcphoenix

Whenever we used to come to Ottawa when I was a kid growing up in a small town, St. Laurent was our go-to mall, followed by Bayshore occasionally, and almost never Rideau. Funny enough that now it's the exact inverse for me.

St. Laurent was a destination when it's movie theatre was still relevant, they had the super arcade/rock climbing/virtual reality place (was it a Playdium?), Sears was still booming and was a store where you'd buy everything from a lawn tractor to a stereo to a haircut, the decor was unique (the trippy ships were really cool in their day), the food court was the biggest and best in town, they were the first place in Ottawa to install the Xlerator hand dryers...it was a cool mall in the 90's/early 2000's. It was positioned to be a Megamall with the second floor expansion between the food court and Sears. It had everything going for it. Then they cancelled the expansion just as Bayshore and Rideau started work on theirs and they did that lipstick on pig makeover and let it all fall apart. Toys R'Us is barely clinging to life, the big chains aren't renovating their stores, little local stores are grabbing empty spaces, Sears is gone, the mall seems to have about half the foot traffic it did ten years ago, empty storefronts are popping up. If Toys R'Us goes I think it will be the death knell for the mall unless they do something dramatic. I find the mall really depressing right now and avoid it unless i'm in the area and need something. I don't go out of my way to go there.

[Jayday23]

District reality is marketing their office-to-apartment conversion at 170 Metcalfe street at "The Met".

Notice the coffee shop/patio on the corner of Nepean and Metcalfe in the first render.

https://www.districtrealty.com/ottawa-apartments/apartments-for-rent/170-metcalfe/

[Jayday23]

District reality is marketing their office-to-apartment convert at 170 Metcalfe street as the "The Met".

Notice the coffee shop/patio on the corner of Nepean and Metcalfe in the first render.

https://www.districtrealty.com/ottawa-apartments/apartments-for-rent/170-metcalfe/

[Dundas]

Living in Orleans, I never go to St-Laurent mall to shop. I used to go before to the ToysRus but now they opened one in Orleans a few years ago so there's no more reason to go. It's not like they have unique stores that Place dorleans doesnt have. I buy my kids clothes at H&M at place dorleans and sportchek or at JoeFresh in the superstore lol. I actually prefer to go the the outlet mall in Kanata now to do my own shopping. National Sports on Innes Rd in Orleans has a few good deals.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Harley613

St. Laurent was a destination when it's movie theatre was still relevant, they had the super arcade/rock climbing/virtual reality place (was it a Playdium?), Sears was still booming and was a store where you'd buy everything from a lawn tractor to a stereo to a haircut, the decor was unique (the trippy ships were really cool in their day), the food court was the biggest and best in town, they were the first place in Ottawa to install the Xlerator hand dryers...it was a cool mall in the 90's/early 2000's. It was positioned to be a Megamall with the second floor expansion between the food court and Sears. It had everything going for it. Then they cancelled the expansion just as Bayshore and Rideau started work on theirs and they did that lipstick on pig makeover and let it all fall apart. Toys R'Us is barely clinging to life, the big chains aren't renovating their stores, little local stores are grabbing empty spaces, Sears is gone, the mall seems to have about half the foot traffic it did ten years ago, empty storefronts are popping up. If Toys R'Us goes I think it will be the death knell for the mall unless they do something dramatic. I find the mall really depressing right now and avoid it unless i'm in the area and need something. I don't go out of my way to go there.

If we are being honest the areas surrounding St Laurent have also transitioned from a predominantly middle class and lower middle class demographic to a more lower class profile. It's not plagued by crime like the South Keys, Elmvale, Lincoln Fields and Herongate areas are, but one gets the sense it may only be a question of time. Not that I am wishing for this to happen...

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Acajack

If we are being honest the areas surrounding St Laurent have also transitioned from a predominantly middle class and lower middle class demographic to a more lower class profile. It's not plagued by crime like the South Keys, Elmvale, Lincoln Fields and Herongate areas are, but one gets the sense it may only be a question of time. Not that I am wishing for this to happen...

I was going to say....St-Laurent's relative decline is likely due to the income levels of the area that surrounds it. LRT should help a bit but the clientele aren't exactly at the same level as Bayview or Rideau.

I'm looking forward to some of the future developments proposed on St-Laurent itself in the coming years. Should give a bit of a boost to what is an otherwise downtrodden area at times.

[J.OT13]

Morguard has done a lot of work to their downtown properties to get ready for the Confederation Line. Hopefully they can shift some of that momentum to St-Laurent.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Jayday23

District reality is marketing their office-to-apartment convert at 170 Metcalfe street as the "The Met".

Notice the coffee shop/patio on the corner of Nepean and Metcalfe in the first render.

https://www.districtrealty.com/ottawa-apartments/apartments-for-rent/170-metcalfe/

Looks good! Let's do this to a few buildings on Sparks please!!

[J.OT13]

Carlingwood Canadian Tire opening int he Spring. That seems fast.

"Okay so I’m clearly no graphic designer..������ But, as Carlingwood Shopping Centre’s spokesperson I wanted to be one of the first to share the BIG news!! The huge vacancy left by Sears will be home to a new Canadian Tire flagship store in the spring!! Woo Hoo!"



https://twitter.com/AngiePoirier/status/1099041827103993856

[MichelKazan]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Carlingwood Canadian Tire opening int he Spring. That seems fast.

"Okay so I’m clearly no graphic designer..������ But, as Carlingwood Shopping Centre’s spokesperson I wanted to be one of the first to share the BIG news!! The huge vacancy left by Sears will be home to a new Canadian Tire flagship store in the spring!! Woo Hoo!"



https://twitter.com/AngiePoirier/status/1099041827103993856

Only way that’s happening by spring is if they don’t tear down the Sears. Which I’m pretty sure they said they were going to do.

[Count Bla]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Carlingwood Canadian Tire opening int he Spring. That seems fast.

"Okay so I’m clearly no graphic designer..������ But, as Carlingwood Shopping Centre’s spokesperson I wanted to be one of the first to share the BIG news!! The huge vacancy left by Sears will be home to a new Canadian Tire flagship store in the spring!! Woo Hoo!"



https://twitter.com/AngiePoirier/status/1099041827103993856

The Reddit post I saw on this does mention Spring but it's Spring 2021, which, if they're tearing down the old Sears portion and building new would make more sense timewise.
https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa/comments/apc18f/update_on_carlingwoodcanadian_tire/

[acottawa]

The Reddit post and the twitter announcement tell very different stories. The only way to reconcile them would be if the move into the old Sears was temporary while a new store is built on the Carling property.

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Rumours fly about future of properties on south side of Beechwood Avenue

By Jane Heintzman, New Edinburgh News
June 2018

Rumors have been buzzing recently of impending property sales along Beechwood Avenue. The stretch along the street’s south side between Loyer Street (at the Quickie convenience store) and St. Charles Street (at Monson Deluxe Cleaners) has been a particular focus of speculation. Much of the block has been derelict for years, dominated by a large vacant lot and a motley collection of rundown, tenantless buildings. A number of the properties on this block are owned by the Claude Lauzon group. When the community movement to rejuvenate Beechwood was launched after the 2011 fire, this block was singled out as an unsightly scar on the commercial landscape, badly in need of redevelopment and new life. Numerous off-the-record discussions with locals close to the matter strongly suggest that change is coming, but hard facts have been difficult to pin down.

“I understand that the properties on the south side (between Quickie and Arturo’s) have been sold conditionally – subject to approval of a development application,” City Councillor Tobi Nussbaum wrote in an email to NEN. “If and when the potential owners submit a development application, it will be a public document subject to public notification and consultation processes. This will entail a large sign summarizing the proposal being placed on site, notice provided to the registered Community Associations, and a letter explaining the proposal delivered to the residents living near the site. “I’m working closely with Councillor [Mathieu] Fleury (in whose ward the properties lie) to ensure development along Beechwood is informed by the objectives of the Beechwood Community Development Plan and contributes value to our community’s main street,” Tobi confirms.

Quartier Vanier Business Improvement Area (QVBIA) Chair Mark Kaluski happens to own a business that occupies one of the properties in question. He gives a thumbs-up to the prospect of new development: “If the rumours are true, we’ll be excited to see one of the last remaining prime development sites on Beechwood developed into something modern and attractive,” he tells NEN. “It will replace a stretch of mostly derelict buildings and empty lots with an intensification project that hopefully provides new commercial options for our neighbourhood. It’s long overdue.” “My understanding is that most of the businesses involved would continue to operate either in the new space, or elsewhere on Beechwood. I understand that nothing is confirmed yet, but this would be a major improvement to the street,” says Mark. One important missing piece of the puzzle is the identity of the purchaser. Sources close to the matter speculate it is a large, internati onal property developer with a Canadian base in Toronto. NEN reached out to the company’s Toronto office for confirmation of any involvement in the Beechwood sale, but did not receive a response to our inquiry.

There is also plenty of buzz about possible property sales on the north side of Beechwood from Springfield Road to Douglas Avenue, as well as in the first block of Springfield Road between the Second Cup to Fraser Café’s Table 40. It’s our understanding that a number of properties in question are owned by Karam El Marji, formerly a small business operator on Springfield Road. We also understand that the longrunning Golden Star Chinese Food is operator-owned, and it is not among the immediate sale prospects on the block. Stay tuned for more details in our October edition, when we hope to have more information.


From: http://www.newedinburgh.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/2018.06-June-NEN-Web-1.pdf, p.1

The assembled properties at 78,84,86,90 Beechwood Avenue and 77,81,85,89,93 Barette Street are currently for sale for $8,000,000.

https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/20250234/vacant-land-78848690-beechwood-avenue-ottawa-beechwood

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by JHikka

I was going to say....St-Laurent's relative decline is likely due to the income levels of the area that surrounds it. LRT should help a bit but the clientele aren't exactly at the same level as Bayview or Rideau.
.

I think you meant Bayshore and not Bayview.

Which made me think that the environs of Bayshore aren't very rich either.

And both Bayshore and St Laurent are located at the junction of the two major highways arriving at opposite ends of the city.

The west end is slightly wealthier than the east end but still, St Laurent should be able to carve out a pretty good niche.

Though St Laurent is a lot closer to Rideau than Bayshore is. When you're on the 417 it's really not that much further to go to Rideau. But parking isn't free at Rideau.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I think you meant Bayshore and not Bayview.

Which made me think that the environs of Bayshore aren't very rich either.

And both Bayshore and St Laurent are located at the junction of the two major highways arriving at opposite ends of the city.

The west end is slightly wealthier than the east end but still, St Laurent should be able to carve out a pretty good niche.

Though St Laurent is a lot closer to Rideau than Bayshore is. When you're on the 417 it's really not that much further to go to Rideau. But parking isn't free at Rideau.

If you can afford $200 sweatpants you can probably afford parking.

Bayshore also has no competition, it is basically the last enclosed mall of any size before you get to Winnipeg, whereas places that might be in St Laurent’s catchment area (Orleans and the Gatineau sector) have their own malls.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I think you meant Bayshore and not Bayview.

Which made me think that the environs of Bayshore aren't very rich either.

Yes, Bayshore.

Bayshore basically captures Kanata, though, because there's no large enclosed mall in that area. St-Laurent doesn't capture, say, Orleans, because Orleans has its own enclosed mall. Bayshore doesn't have to rely on direct local population like St-Laurent has to.

None of these are as bad as Billings, though.

[J.OT13]

Funny. The caption for the Bayshore Station on page 15 of the station description report says Bayview.

https://app05.ottawa.ca/sirepub/cache/2/03f5y2hirvcglz23htbtbodt/56880702232019112752335.PDF

[Buggys]

Billings and Rideau are both always teeming with people, because of the major-route busses that go through them.

[DogsWithJobs]

Personally I would much rather go to st Laurent than Rideau. It is slightly closer for me and parking is easier and free. But Rideau has stores that St Laurent doesn't and in the end that is what matters.