They must be new trees. There do not appear to have been trees prior to construction starting.

Previous shopping area had a better mix

Re: “Cordova Bay businesses struggling with Saanich ban on portable signs,” Aug. 31.

Poor signs aren’t the main reason why Gigi’s Italian Specialty store is suffering, it’s the fact that there is no reason for most people to visit that plaza on a regular basis.

She is the sole retailer in the entire complex. When the developer initially pitched the idea for the Haro, he promised the essentials of the “15 minute neighbourhood” with eateries and retail shops anchored by a full-size grocery store.

Whatever the shortcomings of the old Cordova Bay Plaza, it housed a supermarket with the best butcher on the Peninsula, a dollar store, a bakery, a cafe, a bank, etc., all destinations that attracted frequent stops.

Due to the high cost of purchase or lease, it is no surprise that the new complex is dominated by professional offices, e.g. a lawyer, a wealth adviser, a bank, a dentist and assorted medical offices plus a spa.

There are still a few vacant storefronts two years after official opening. We never got the replacement grocery store and the largest premises are occupied by a fitness gym that attracts a younger crowd than the age of most residents of Cordova Bay.

Apart from the gym, there is no need to visit any of these facilities on an impromptu or daily basis. I feel particularly sorry for the condo owners who paid dearly to overlook the parking lot with its LED signs that blight the night.

Clearly the developer and Saanich council missed a great opportunity to create a vibrant community space in the core village.

All of these problems were anticipated and voiced by the community but fell on deaf ears. For now, Mattick’s Farm gets my business. Gigi’s might consider doing the same.

Janet Munson

Cordova Bay

https://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/letters-sept-30-sirens-and-dowler-place-cordova-bay-shopping-plaza-politicians-stop-your-attacks-9590200

We love Gigis. Great Italian store with hard to find items.

The developer tried to secure a grocery store at the plaza but they can only do so much. The free market weighs and balances opportunities and the winner for that space ended up being a gym.

Grocery stores are ultra low margin operations that need a large catchment of shoppers. They run the numbers and realized the local population wasn’t big enough for a modern retail operation at that location, with Red Barn just down the road, and a Thrifty’s a short drive away. Then across the highway you have Country Grocer, and not that far away on McKenzie you’ve got Root Cellar.

The developer tried to secure a grocery store at the plaza but they can only do so much. The free market weighs and balances opportunities and the winner for that space ended up being a gym.

Grocery stores are ultra low margin operations that need a large catchment of shoppers. They run the numbers and realized the local population wasn’t big enough for a modern retail operation at that location, with Red Barn just down the road, and a Thrifty’s a short drive away. Then across the highway you have Country Grocer, and not that far away on McKenzie you’ve got Root Cellar.

Can't be, Jagmeet says they are ripping us off, and he wants a cap on grocery prices.