Today marked the ground breaking ceremony for the $360 million Rideau Centre refit.
In conjunction with a sleek and bright re-design the Rideau Centre is welcoming 30 new shops including Simons, Victoria’s Secret, J Crew & Nordstrom.
The dinning hall is being moved to a location with greater natural light and features a contemporary layout with bar seating and enclave-positioned higher-end food offerings making it a destination experience where one can refuel and relax.
In keeping with the visionary progress made by the Downtown Rideau and the Byward Market BIAs in building local beautification and desirability – think Nuit Blanche, Public Seating – the Olgilvy building facade destroyed last year will be recreated and incorporated in to the modern design of the Centre.
Further the Centre will have great transit links with LRT stops and buses bringing it in-line with successful urban retail development across the US and Europe.
This ambitious redevelopment and expansion project is wonderful news for the surrounding neighbourhoods who use it as their local shop.
One small request would be that the Rideau Centre please encourage the City of Ottawa to install bike lanes and beautify pedestrian access to give this project a real boutique edge in the urban & historical heart of Ottawa. Retail profits stand to increase – The NYC Dept of Transportation 2012 Study found that in Manhattan businesses saw an improvement in retail sales of up to 49 percent if they were near protected bicycle lanes.
Sandy Hill Seen 