The Estevan Market Mall has been busy with a number of new projects, with a new parking lot, food court, and more included in a five-year building plan. Those have progressed well for the mall, with the food court possibly seeing vendors set up this year.
Past their five-year plan, the mall wants to start another construction project to upgrade one of its entrances, said Martin Blair, Managing Director of First Aberdeen Properties.
"I think the main focus that we want to do right now is we do have a development plan for the south side of the mall, our south entrance. We will be, over the next year, expanding the hallway entrance on that side. But ultimately, the south side is going to have an entrance very similar to what we built on the north side."
That design will also incorporate an elevator connected to a new office space for the mall, which is currently undergoing renovations.
The new space will be open for businesses that are less retail-focused or are supporting other retail stores.
"We have an opportunity to open up a new business center there for 10,000 square feet. So we have a 10,000-square-foot second floor," said Blair, "And that's part of our future plan and probably, from a capital expenditure point of view, will be one of the biggest projects that we'll have."
Blair says that from what he sees, Estevan has a lot of potential, which a properly laid-out mall could take advantage of.
"We're watching what's happening with the small modular reactors and what's happening in the farm program and what's happening in oil, what's happening in coal. When we start seeing consultants arriving back in the city and surveyors and design people, then we will probably want to be ready to have a business center that has spaces available."
The end goal for the Estevan Market Mall will be to create a centre that can handle all aspects of a person's life conveniently close to residential areas.
"You're going to have a situation where someone can live in Estevan. They can walk across the street, and they can go to work, whether it's a call center or an architectural firm. They can arrive at the mall at 8 in the morning. They can go down to the food court for a coffee. They can have lunch there. At the end of the day, they can go to Studio C for fitness. And then they can walk over to Sobeys and grab the evening dinner and walk back to their apartment."
Blair says that the unique opportunity present in Estevan is one that they'll be following closely.