Challenge Strategy

The Right Site Can Shift the Commercial Core of A City
The Story of Marché Lavaltrie – 2005 to 2015
May, 2015
Challenge
The Back Story:
Prior to 2005, the commercial activity of the city of Lavaltrie was widely scattered along Notre-Dame
Street and along Lavaltrie Road (highway 131). Between 1995 and 2005 there was a significant growth
in population; yet, with no commercial core and with only older stores, the community was
underserved.
Finding the Right Site:
We chose a site at the entrance to the city on Lavaltrie Road; however, the land presented its fair share
of obstacles, such as a high water table, weak soil bearing capacity, as well as a lack of adequate
infrastructure to facilitate safe and easy access to the site. However, the city recognized the growing
need for a shopping core and was very supportive of the project.
Strategy
Our Development team tackled each challenge. Secure and easy access being a critical success factor for
any shopping centre, led us into complex negotiations with the provincial transport authority.
Construction of an intersection with a traffic light was approved, which would provide safe access into
our project from the highway. The high water table necessitated water management throughout
construction. The weak soil bearing capacity demanded creative and diverse construction solutions for
each phase.
We did our homework, and based on previous experiences, we expected a shift over a 5 to 10 year span
during which new and existing retailers would begin to move towards this newly created commercial
node. Our Leasing team utilized a variety of strategies to attract potential tenants to our project; but
above all, persistence in pursuing those key tenants and showcasing our previous successful
developments ensured the best combination of retailers, mixing a wide range of goods and services. We
employed patience and creative agreements with Sobeys, our anchor, as well as with other major
tenants, who were either starting up, or moving from older stores and secondary locations elsewhere in
Lavaltrie.
A growing bedroom community such as Lavaltrie, with very little good quality retail until we arrived,
needs developers like Brookline to create the shopping node to bring together the newest concepts of
the best retailers. We gain the opportunity over time to become the major commercial real estate
developer for the community, and to grow our footprint as the community evolves. The city benefits
from very significant extra tax revenues generated from our expanding project. The community benefits
from having a new format shopping centre that offers easy and safe access, plentiful parking and onestop shopping for all of its everyday needs.
All in all, the key to success in this project was cooperation… with the city, the various provincial
authorities, and the community.
Conclusion
How do you measure the success of a shopping centre? Bottom line, it is successful because our
retailers are happy and their businesses are growing.
IGA opened in 2005, followed by Tim Hortons in 2007 and by Jean-Coutu, which relocated to our project
in 2008. By 2012, the SAQ and the Lavaltrie Medical Clinic had moved to our project, and they were
followed swiftly by The Source, Subway Restaurant, Le Toucan Pet Shop, Dollarama, and McDonalds.
Our 7th phase is currently underway and, in early 2016, we will open a National Bank of Canada, and
Crabtree Pizzeria.
Our project was developed in harmony with the city’s desires and urban planning vision. It has become
a welcoming entrance to the city with a variety of neighborhood services that complement each other.
The layout is very inviting to its customers with ease of access to each store and plenty of parking, and
all stores are highly visible from the street. All of this contributes to create a feeling of community in the
shopping centre and incites people to make it their primary shopping destination.
Quotes:
Animalerie Le Toucan :
"It was our first store and we looked around to see what locations were available, but nothing really fit
with our needs. There was no commercial district before… but since the shopping centre was built there
is now a commercial node. Plus, the owner provided us with a detailed plan with regard to traffic and
access, and the site has a traffic light. It was a clear choice." (Translation)
[Original : «C’était notre premier magasin et nous avons regardé ce qui était disponible comme
emplacement, mais il n'y avait rien qui correspondait vraiment à ce qu’on recherchait. Il n’y avait pas de
zone commerciale avant... mais depuis que ce centre commercial a été construit, il y a maintenant un
noyau commercial. Et, en plus, un plan avec des données par rapport à la circulation et à l'accès nous a
été fourni par le propriétaire , et le site avait un feu de circulation. Le choix était clair.»]
Clinique Médicale de Lavaltrie:
"We came from a much smaller clinic split between 2 floors where we shared certain rooms with the
CLSC. Having a large clinic, with 17 doctor’s offices, 4 examination rooms, rooms for the nurses, a
relaxation room, and a conference room, makes for a great experience for everyone. The clinic is
brightly lit and well-equipped. An increase in the number of available parking spaces was a necessity.
We are well situated on the main access route to highway 40 and there are a wide range of other
services close by. It is a very pleasant environment for us as well as for our patients.” (Translation)
[Original : «Nous venions d'une clinique beaucoup plus petite, sur 2 niveaux où nous partagions certains
locaux avec le CLSC. D’avoir une si grande clinique, avec 17 cabinets de médecins, 4 salles d’examens,
des locaux pour les infirmières, une salle de repos, et une salle de conférence est une très belle
expérience pour tous. Les locaux sont très claires et sont bien aménagés. Une augmentation du nombre
de places de stationnement pour nos patients était nécessaire. Nous sommes bien situés sur la voie
d'accès principale à l'autoroute 40 et il y a beaucoup d'autres services à proximité. C’est un
environnement très agréable pour nous ainsi que pour nos patients.»]
This project is one of many successful examples of what we do (in addition to many others). If you are
considering opening up a new retail business or a new location, we are a full-service operation,
managing every aspect of the development process. Whatever your situation, we can offer a solution.