On Wednesday, BCBusiness got an early look inside Oakridge Park ahead of its official opening on May 28—and even though parts of the massive redevelopment are still under construction, it’s already obvious Vancouver’s latest luxury shopping hub is aiming big.
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The first phase of the long-awaited project at West 41st Avenue and Cambie Street opens this week, bringing roughly 500,000 square feet of retail and dining space online inside the sprawling mixed-use development. Once fully completed, the project’s retail component will span about 650,000 square feet and house more than 100 businesses.
“This is so much more than a traditional retail experience,” said Tara Brockelmann, senior vice president of retail leasing at Oakridge Park during the media preview. “Oakridge Park has been envisioned as a cultural hub.”
The site, being developed by Westbank and QuadReal Property Group, spans 28 acres and will eventually include more than five million square feet of residential, retail, office and public space. At the centre of it all is a nine-acre park designed to connect the various parts of the development together.
The retail mix includes a number of firsts for Vancouver, including standalone boutiques for luxury brands such as Loewe, Maison Margiela, Acne Studios, Bulgari, Christian Louboutin and Dolce & Gabbana. The project will also feature the first standalone Canadian location for luxury watchmaker Jacob & Co. and the first standalone North American storefront for bespoke jewelry brand Charmain.
Another major draw is the 51,000-square-foot Time Out Market, which brings together a curated mix of local culinary gems under one roof. Think Lunch Lady, Via Tevere Pizzeria, Beaucoup Bakery, Heritage Asian Eatery, Mello and many more beloved eateries.
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Overall, the development leans heavily into the idea of experiential retail, with large public art installations, digital displays, live performances, wellness spaces and landscaped gathering areas woven throughout.
Chrystal Burns, executive vice president of Canadian retail experience at QuadReal Property Group, said the completed project will eventually evolve into a full mixed-use neighbourhood, with homes for more than 6,000 residents, 188 affordable housing units, roughly 700,000 square feet of office space, community amenities and what developers describe as the largest library on Vancouver’s west side.
Brockelmann, who said she has worked on Oakridge Park since 2017, described the project as deeply personal.
“I’m local, born in Vancouver, and to get to be a part of a project like Oakridge is beyond anything I could have ever dreamed,” she said.
