Oakridge Mall Re-Opens To The Public

Photo Credit: Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive

The wait is finally over for those looking forward to Vancouver’s newest addition to the shopping scene. At 11:00 AM on May 28, the new Oakridge Park hosted its ribbon-cutting ceremony after roughly eight years of construction.

The history of the mall stretches back to the 1950s, when it was one of the last areas in Vancouver to be developed, according to developer Westbank. Between 2007 and 2014, the owner of the mall, Ivanhoé Cambridge Inc., completed a rezoning application to redevelop the site. 

However, the increased popularity of online shopping and the uncertainty of the future of retail prevented the project from moving forward. During the rezoning application, local developer Westbank and architect Gregory Henriquez had been brought on board to work with Ivanhoé. However, Ivanhoé told Gillespie, the founder and owner of Westbank, that the Oakridge plan was “just not the right vision.” Determined to see the project through, Gilespie convinced Ivanhoé to sell the project to QuadReal, a growing real estate development firm, for nearly $1 billion. 

Oakridge is one of the largest mixed-use development projects in Canadian real estate history, according to Henriquez’s website. Of the 650,000 sq. ft. of retail space that is part of the first phase of the mall, 500,000 sq. ft. was open to the public on the mall’s opening day, according to The Daily Hive.

Stores include popular luxury retail outlets such as Chanel, Harry Rosen, Louis Vuitton, Prada, and Versace. Vancouver-based brands such as Lululemon, Arc'teryx, and Aritzia will also be featured in the mall, while wellness retailers include Alo and Sporting Life.

The gourmet food court is open from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM. Restaurants consist primarily of local businesses, with the current lineup including Beaucoup Bakery Café & Creamery, Feenie’s, Lunch Lady, SANTO TACO, Kishimoto, Mello Doughnuts, and many more.

 “Honestly, most people seem to go there just for the food. I didn’t really see many shoppers—if any at all—but all of the well-known brands are still gathered in one place, which gave it a nice, familiar sense of luxury,” shared one review on TripAdvisor.