Ground-breaking for $30 million SmartCentres project, which includes anchor tenant Walmart.
With a $30 million investment in Mission by SmartCentres to create 117,000 square feet of new retail space, including a 95,000-square-foot Walmart store, excitement in the community is building.
“If you count the heads from Mission and Maple Ridge shopping in Abbotsford, then you know this project is going to recapture many of those estimated $103 million in lost shopping dollars,’’ said Abbotsford-Mission MLA Randy Hawes at the project’s official ground-breaking.
The centre will include four other smaller retail buildings on the site, east of Mission Springs Pub at the intersection of Lougheed Highway and Wren Street.
“It’s healthy for our community and it will help it grow and build our tax base. This is going to make a lot of local businesses healthier since customers won’t be going outside the community,” Hawes said, thanking SmartCentres and Walmart for having the faith and confidence to build in Mission.
“I believe this is going to be a very successful centre,” he said. “People like shopping at Walmart.”
Mission Mayor James Atebe shared Hawes’ excitement, adding that the project will create as many as 200 construction jobs and some 260 retail positions.
“SmartCentres and district staff worked closely together to develop a quality commercial plan we’re very happy with,” said Atebe.
Andrew Sinclair, SmartCentres land development manager, said it has taken about two and a half years to reach this point in the project and praised the consultants team, District of Mission staff, and the various provincial government ministries that were dedicated to working through any challenges that arose for the 10-acre site.
“We felt welcomed here and we all worked together toward the end goals,” said Sinclair. “We had good dialogue and we listened to concerns in the community. I think we ended up with a better project because of it.”
Sinclair pointed out the project will add $700,000 annually to District of Mission tax coffers and a one-time payment of $780,000 in development cost charges.
Since 1994, SmartCentres has built 200 shopping centres across Canada. Since that time the company has averaged more than three million square feet of development annually. The company also donates $1.5 million each year to Canadian communities, charities, hospitals and children’s causes.
SmartCentres has become the largest developer of unenclosed shopping centres in the country and boasts a client portfolio that includes more than 25 of the world’s top 200 retailers, including Home Depot, Winners and Best Buy.
As part of the Mission project, expected to be complete by the fall of 2012, the company has committed to funding improvements to the nearby Lougheed Highway, and the intersection where it meets the Cedar Valley Connector.
Landscaping on the site will feature native species and oil grit separators will be incorporated in the parking areas. There will also be on-site water detention systems.
Sylvain Rivet, Walmart Canada Corp’s regional director of real estate, said his company takes pride in helping “our customers afford products they need and save money for life’s other priorities. We look forward to being part of the community.”