Elmvale Acres Shopping Centre

Elmvale Acres Shopping Centre is a retail and services complex in the Elmvale Acres neighbourhood of Ottawa, Ontario. It occupies a site bounded by Smyth Road, Othello Avenue, Russell Road and St. Laurent Boulevard, placing it near major roads, residential neighbourhoods and public transit connections. The centre is currently owned by RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust and functions primarily as a community-oriented shopping destination rather than as a destination regional mall. The property opened in 1961 as an enclosed shopping mall and was among Ottawa's earliest fully enclosed shopping centres. Its original enclosed configuration was later removed: in 2005, the enclosed section was demolished and replaced by two open-air ranges positioned across a parking area. This change shifted the site toward a strip-mall format, with retail and service businesses arranged around surface parking rather than under one continuous roof. The centre accommodates approximately 146,699 square feet of gross leasable area and has about 40 shops and services. Tenants and public-facing facilities identified in reference material include Dollarama, LCBO, Rexall, Starbucks and an Ottawa Public Library location. These uses give the property a mixed everyday-needs role, combining convenience retail, pharmacy, food and beverage, alcohol retail, discount merchandise and public library services. The centre is also adjacent to Elmvale Station, where OC Transpo routes 5, 40, 41, 48 and 49 provide bus connections. RioCan began planning a substantial redevelopment of the property in 2017. The proposal called for a mixed-use expansion incorporating new commercial space, residential buildings and a public park. Plans described approximately 570 new residential units and a park of about 3,150 square metres. They also included three 16-storey towers along St. Laurent Boulevard and a nine-storey building along Smyth Road. If completed as planned, the buildings would materially increase the site's density and introduce a larger residential component while retaining a retail function. Construction began in 2019, with implementation expected to take 10 to 15 years. The centre also became the site of a fatal police shooting on January 31, 2019. According to reporting cited in reference material, a 30-year-old man entered the mall area while carrying a knife and was shot and killed during an altercation with an Ottawa Police Service officer. The officer was reportedly injured with a cut to the forehead. Ontario's Special Investigations Unit investigated and concluded that the officers had used force that was reasonably necessary in the circumstances. This event is included as a documented site incident, not as evidence of a corporate scandal. Elmvale Acres Shopping Centre's identity is therefore tied to three overlapping roles: a long-established Ottawa shopping location, a neighbourhood-scale retail and public-services hub, and a redevelopment site being repositioned toward a denser mixed-use format. Its present and future character depend on the balance between existing convenience-oriented tenants, transit access, planned housing and the proposed public realm improvements.

Elmvale Acres Shopping Centre opened in 1961 in Ottawa's Elmvale Acres neighbourhood. Its original form was an enclosed shopping mall, making it one of the earliest fully enclosed malls in the city. The site occupies a strategically connected urban location between Smyth Road, Othello Avenue, Russell Road and St. Laurent Boulevard, and is close to residential areas and the Elmvale transit station. Over time, the property moved away from its original enclosed-mall format. In 2005, the enclosed portion was demolished and replaced with two open-air retail ranges facing one another across a parking lot. This transformation created a more conventional strip-centre layout and allowed the property to continue serving everyday shopping and service needs without maintaining a single enclosed interior mall structure. The centre's tenant and service mix has included Dollarama, LCBO, Rexall, Starbucks and an Ottawa Public Library facility, among other shops and services. The resulting offer combines convenience retail, pharmacy, food and beverage, alcohol retail, discount merchandise and civic services. The property has approximately 146,699 square feet of gross leasable area and around 40 shops and services. Bus connections at adjacent Elmvale Station include OC Transpo routes 5, 40, 41, 48 and 49. RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust is the current owner. In 2017, RioCan initiated plans for a broader redevelopment that would add residential and commercial buildings and a new public park. The proposal included approximately 570 residential units, a 3,150-square-metre park, three 16-storey towers along St. Laurent Boulevard and a nine-storey building along Smyth Road. The proposed towers would represent a notable increase in height along St. Laurent Boulevard. Construction began in 2019, and the program was expected to be delivered over a 10-to-15-year period. On January 31, 2019, the property was the location of a fatal police shooting. The reported circumstances involved a 30-year-old man carrying a knife and an altercation with an Ottawa Police Service officer. The officer was reportedly cut on the forehead. The Special Investigations Unit reviewed the incident and determined that the force used by the officers was reasonably necessary. The incident is part of the site's documented history but does not establish a scandal involving the shopping-centre owner or brand. The centre's history reflects the evolution of Canadian urban retail property: from an early enclosed mall, to an open-air neighbourhood strip centre, and then toward a higher-density mixed-use development incorporating housing, retail and public space. Its importance is primarily local, as a daily-needs shopping and services hub for surrounding Ottawa communities.

• 2019

  Redevelopment construction begins

  [1]Elmvale Acres Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org

  Construction began on a redevelopment program expected to be implemented over 10 to 15 years.

• 2019

  Fatal police shooting at the property

  [1]Elmvale Acres Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org

  A 30-year-old man was shot and killed by an Ottawa police officer during an altercation at the shopping centre; the SIU later found the force reasonably necessary.

• 2017

  Mixed-use redevelopment plans announced

  [1]Elmvale Acres Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org

  Owner RioCan began further redevelopment planning, including commercial and residential buildings and a proposed public park.

• 2005

  Enclosed mall section replaced

  [1]Elmvale Acres Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org

  The enclosed portion was demolished and replaced by two open-air retail ranges facing each other across a parking lot.

• 1961

  Opening as an enclosed shopping mall

  [1]Elmvale Acres Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org

  Elmvale Acres Shopping Centre opened as an enclosed mall and became one of Ottawa's early fully enclosed shopping centres.

A neighbourhood-oriented shopping and services centre serving Elmvale Acres and nearby Ottawa communities, with a convenience-led tenant mix and a long-term transition toward a denser mixed-use property.

• Shopping centre services

  Neighbourhood retail and services

  The centre's principal offering is a collection of everyday retail and public-facing services rather than a proprietary product line. Identified tenants and facilities include discount merchandise, pharmacy services, alcohol retail, coffee and food service, and an Ottawa Public Library location. This mix supports routine local shopping and community use.

• Property redevelopment · 2017

  Elmvale Acres mixed-use redevelopment

  The planned redevelopment is intended to combine retained or expanded commercial activity with new housing and public space. The published concept includes approximately 570 residential units, a 3,150-square-metre park, three 16-storey towers along St. Laurent Boulevard and a nine-storey building along Smyth Road.

• 2017

  Decision to pursue mixed-use redevelopmentStrategy

  Background

  RioCan sought to further redevelop the established shopping-centre property.

  Action taken

  The owner proposed a combination of new commercial and residential buildings, approximately 570 residential units and a 3,150-square-metre park.

  Aftermath

  The redevelopment framework introduced a long-term urban intensification plan for the site, with construction beginning in 2019 and an anticipated 10-to-15-year implementation period.

  Source

• 2005

  Conversion from enclosed mall to open-air centreStrategy

  Background

  The property had operated as an enclosed shopping mall since its 1961 opening.

  Action taken

  The enclosed portion was demolished and replaced with two retail ranges facing across a parking lot.

  Aftermath

  The site adopted an open-air strip-centre format while continuing to provide local retail and services.

  Source

1. 1Elmvale Acres Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org