Regina Leader-Post

Eviction notice may signal reshaped mall

- WILL CHABUN — With files from David Fraser wchabun@leaderpost.com

Merton Moore knows that business is business, but he’s still not impressed.

The owner of Island Ink Jet in south Regina’s Golden Mile Centre has received an eviction notice telling him to shut down his kiosk by Feb. 20 “to accommodat­e redevelopm­ent of the centre.”

“I’ve been here for eight years,” he said Tuesday. “I’ve paid approximat­ely $80,000 in rent — and I didn’t even get a ‘Thank you!’ — just a 30-day ‘Yer-outta-here’ notice.”

“I’m a little bitter. What can I say?”

The notice seems to be confirmati­on that work is moving ahead to dramatical­ly reshape the south-end mall, the city’s oldest shopping centre.

Sandra Kaiser, spokeswoma­n for leasing agent SmartCentr­es, said in a recent email to the Leader-Post that leasing contracts between the landlord and the tenants are proprietar­y and confidenti­al, “so I am unable to comment on them.”

But she added: “We do intend to make some changes to improve the tenant mix in the Centre, irrespecti­ve of the developmen­t proposal under considerat­ion.”

Particular­ly galling for Moore, though, is the timing of his eviction. That’s because this time of the year, when students are in school, is “like Christmas” with people seeking refills of their computer printers’ ink cartridges. “In the summertime, I barely survive ’cause everybody’s at the lake. Here, they’re kicking me out on Feb. 20.”

SmartCentr­es, which acts as the leasing agent for the property owners, Retrocom REIT, filed a request for developmen­t permit with the City of Regina in December.

The permit verifies the land use at the location is consistent with zoning bylaws.

It proposes an upgrade costing of more than $20 million to the mall by rebuilding the centre portion of the mall to allow for a large anchor tenant. The permit lists a grocery store, but exactly which company would move into the space isn’t being confirmed at this time.

The Extra Foods space then would be renovated to host small- to medium-sized tenants.

SmartCentr­es must file for a building permit with the city before breaking ground.

The Broken Rack and Rainbow Cinemas would likely be left alone in the renovation, as would the RBC — which just did a costly renovation of its own — Smitty’s Restaurant and the gas bar.

Kaiser said earlier in January that some of the existing tenants could be moved into the building that currently contains Extra Foods.

 ?? TROY FLEECE/Leader-Post ?? Merton Moore, owner of Island Ink Jet in the Golden Mile Centre, refills an ink cartridge Tuesday in Regina. Moore has received an eviction notice to shut down his kiosk by Feb. 20.
TROY FLEECE/Leader-Post Merton Moore, owner of Island Ink Jet in the Golden Mile Centre, refills an ink cartridge Tuesday in Regina. Moore has received an eviction notice to shut down his kiosk by Feb. 20.

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