Brockville Shopping Centre revitalization plans underway

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The plan to breathe life back into the Brockville Shopping Centre is moving forward, with the city hosting a public meeting next month on the proposed revitalization.

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A proposal to revive the former shopping mall, located at 125 Stewart Boulevard, is currently underway, with developers hoping to transform the property into a multi-use facility including residential units.

“The proponent intends to redevelop the subject lands to accommodate a mix of land uses including but not limited to residential, commercial, and medical uses,” a letter to the city from The Urban Hulk and IN Engineering + Surveying reads.

That engineering firm was hired by the landowner Jameel Madhani to repurpose the once-lively shopping destination.

The property is currently home to a handful of tenants, but for decades it was a bustling hub of commercial activity before losing many of its anchor retailers. The LCBO closed in 2012, Zellers closed in 2013, and Brett’s Valu-Mart closed its doors in 2016, leaving behind a handful of smaller retailers.

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Now, after seeing it sitting under-utilized for the better part of the last decade, the owner is hoping to repurpose the property in the midst of a changing retail landscape.

As part of the proposal, a developer is planning to build three apartment buildings, all of them up to 12 storeys, on the northeast portion of the site, while aiming to refresh the remaining commercial retail space.

The proposed development will “increase the City of Brockville’s housing stock” by creating 210 housing units on site, providing the opportunity for “future ground floor commercial uses,” the letter says.

“The subject site was where numerous retailers were located over the past 60 years. The recreational centre is located where Zellers was located for decades and was beloved by the community,” the letter reads.

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“The subject site has redevelopment potential thanks to its location, which is helped by the community’s fond association to the Brockville Shopping Centre’s former tenants.”

As part of the plan, the two separate commercial buildings – the Beer Store, and the building with a Dairy Queen and Oil Changers – would continue to operate, but what will happen to the larger, main portion of the shopping centre is still up in the air.

Madhani, who owns the site, said Wednesday the recreation centre where Stingers currently operates will remain, but they’re still evaluating what may happen with the rest of central shopping block.

“We would like to have much more green space, and we are committed to public recreation as well. We are evaluating a few other commercial opportunities,” Jameel Madhani, the landowner, said in a phone call Wednesday.

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The property would also potentially connect to the city’s municipal transit system.

“A municipal transit hub and transit loop are also proposed for this area. The transit hub will serve as a drop-off and pick-up point for the City of Brockville’s transit system,” the letter reads.

Mayor Matt Wren said he was looking forward to the property’s transformation, adding it lines up with how other former shopping centres have been repurposed in other locations.

“When you look at communities and these old shopping centre properties, with the way the retail landscape has changed, they’re not as relevant as they used to be,” Wren said Wednesday, adding he was grateful the landowner has put in years of work to revitalize such a prominent Brockville property.

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“Many of these older shopping centres are being repurposed for other things, including residential.”

He said it was a great, central location for such a project, since there are several other multi-residential apartment complexes in the immediate area.

“I think it would bring greatly-needed additional rental accommodation to the city,” he said.

The plan was initially proposed in early 2022, but the design has since gone through a series of changes. It includes severing the land into four separate parcels, and Wren said it was because the land underneath the site was found to be contaminated.

The residential portion of the land is clear of contamination, he said, and severing it will allow the apartment buildings to be built without needing to remediate the entire property.

A public meeting is the next step in the process to bring the project to life. The meeting, scheduled for Feb. 6 in council chambers, will highlight the plan in its current iteration.

“The owner has worked really hard for a number of years, through several versions of this plan, and it looks like this direction might allow him to move forward, and we wish him all the best,” Wren said.

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