Developers jockey for retail spots.

• Author: Louiseize, Kelly
• Position: Sudbury Report

Sudbury's retail scene resembles a Monopoly board with big developers strategically jockeying for position in the city's east end, south end and downtown core.

Retail development is expected in Sudbury at the corner of the Kingsway and Barrydowne Road on the hill beside Home Depot.

Trinity Development Group Inc. has acquired land for development and will begin applying for detailed approval early next year.

Part of the development will involve some extensive road construction that will allow access and exit from Marcus Drive to and from Second Avenue. Construction is expected to begin in early spring, if not sooner, says Art Welter, vice-president of development for Trinity Development Group.

"The buildings will follow sequentially in the summer for opening probably early 2005," Welter explains.

Trinity pre-leases almost all the buildings before constructing them, however, he is not at liberty to disclose the company names.

At a September CMHC conference in Greater Sudbury, Doug Nadorozny, general manager of economic development and planning services, announced Michaels, PETsMART and Linens-N-Things were possible businesses for the location.

Welter hopes to formally disclose the company's intentions to the city for two of the three sites by January 2004, with the remaining parcel of land to be submitted up to six months later. The total amount of additional space will be 200,000 square feet, with approximately two-thirds having been 100-per-cent preleased and the remaining one-third currently in negotiations.

Most project development now is lease driven.

"If you don't have the tenants, you don't go ahead," Welter says.

Patrick H. MacIsaac, owner of the Southridge Mall in Sudbury, would also consider expansion, but they have nothing concrete that can be made public.

"We certainly sense that there is a demand for additional retail in the south end, but we are not in a position to have anything firm at this time," MacIsaac explains.

"There is no sense building things where you don't have people to occupy the space and conduct business in."

Art Potvin...