The new owners of Hillside Shopping Centre will proceed with redevelopment plans.
The shopping mall, located at Hillside Avenue and Shelbourne Street, will undergo extensive renovations and a 55,000-square-foot expansion to accommodate more retail shops.
Victoria city council originally granted the development permit to the mall's previous owners in January 2009. Those plans were put on hold when the mall changed hands.
"We just purchased the shopping centre in September, so we just had to do our own internal investigation," said Lorna Park, of Redcliff Realty management, on behalf of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.
The new owners are now satisfied with the original redevelopment plans, and work is set to begin in three to four months.
The upgrades will include better access to the mall for vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles. It will feature an interior bike enclosure, improved landscaping, and a tribute to Bowker Creek. The old Sears auto centre will be removed, replacing parking stalls lost to the mall's expansion.
Construction is scheduled for completion by 2013.
Upgrades to the parking lot are currently underway.
rholmen@vicnews.com
