Published 18 October 2026 · By Jatin Dua, Broker of Record, RE/MAX Quantum Realty
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Oakville’s main shopping centres are Oakville Place, SmartCentres Oakville North in the Uptown Core, and the grocery-anchored centres on Cornwall Road, backed by three main streets and dozens of neighbourhood plazas. Oakville Place (240 Leighland Ave) is the only enclosed mall. Olde Oakville Market Place, Shops of Oakville South and Maple Grove Village anchor the south. Downtown Oakville, Kerr Village and Bronte Village are the main-street districts. In the west, South Oakville Centre (formerly Hopedale Mall) and the Glen Abbey plazas serve daily needs. Several sites, mostly in the Uptown Core, Kerr Village and Bronte, have active Town files.
Looking for a unit in one of these plazas, or a home near one? Tell me what you need and I will shortlist options and check the planning file.
How many shopping centres and plazas does Oakville have?
There is no official count, and I would not trust anyone who gives you one. What I can give you is the list I actually work from: the enclosed mall, the grocery-anchored centres, the power centre in the Uptown Core, the three main-street districts, and the neighbourhood plazas that buyers, renters and business owners ask me about. Each one below is checked against a current landlord page, a Town of Oakville file or the Oakville Transit route list as at October 2026.
Where a current source names a tenant, I name it. Where no current source does, I leave the cell honest rather than fill it from memory. Tenants change every year, so check before you drive over or sign anything.
Four types show up in Oakville:
- Enclosed mall – one roof, interior corridors, big surface lot. Oakville Place is the only one most people mean.
- Power centre – big-box stores around a shared parking field. SmartCentres Oakville North in the Uptown Core is the clearest example.
- Grocery-anchored community centre – a supermarket plus 20 to 50 smaller units. This is the backbone of south and east Oakville.
- Main street – Downtown Oakville, Kerr Village and Bronte Village, each with its own Business Improvement Area and its own planning rules.
Which shopping centres are in central and south Oakville?
The Trafalgar Road and Cornwall Road corridor, between the QEW and the lake, carries the most valuable retail in town. It sits close to Oakville GO, and the trade areas around it have some of the highest household incomes the landlords publish anywhere in the GTA.
| Name | Address / area | Size and anchors (as at 2026 – check before you visit) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakville Place | 240 Leighland Avenue, at Trafalgar Road and the QEW | Enclosed mall, about 452,000 sq ft over two floors, owned and managed by RioCan. Key retailers named by the mall: H&M, L.L.Bean, Mark’s and Sephora; the directory also lists GoodLife Fitness, Sport Chek, Shoppers Drug Mart, PetSmart and Dollarama. The former Hudson’s Bay closed in June 2025; Nations Fresh Foods is announced for that space in 2027. | Fashion, everyday errands, families; the town’s only true indoor mall |
| Olde Oakville Market Place | 271–361 Cornwall Road, between Trafalgar Road and Chartwell Road | About 123,500 sq ft (First Capital). Whole Foods, LCBO and Shoppers Drug Mart named by the landlord | Premium grocery and quick errands minutes from downtown |
| Shops of Oakville South | 461 Cornwall Road | About 111,200 sq ft (First Capital). Anchored by a 45,000 sq ft Longo’s, with Harper’s Landing restaurant | Grocery, sit-down dining, residents of the south-east and the Oakville GO area |
| Maple Grove Village | 511 Maple Grove Drive, at Cornwall Road and Constance Road | About 119,500 sq ft open-air centre (First Capital). Sobeys, Rexall and Home Hardware named by the landlord | Weekly shopping for south-east Oakville families; served by Oakville Transit Route 4 |
Oakville Place is served by Oakville Transit Routes 13, 19 and 26. Shops of Oakville South and Maple Grove Village both sit on Route 4 (Speers–Cornwall), which runs from Bronte GO to Clarkson GO.
What are Oakville’s main shopping streets?
A lot of Oakville’s retail is not in a plaza at all. It sits on three traditional main streets, each designated by the Town as a growth area with its own Official Plan Amendment.
| District | Where | Why it matters (as at 2026) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown Oakville | Lakeshore Road East and the side streets beside the harbour | The BIA describes six blocks next to the lake and over 400 businesses. Designated Central Business District under OPA 20; buildings are generally two to four storeys. Paid parking Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; free on Sundays, holidays and after 6 p.m. | Boutiques, restaurants, salons, professional offices that want a heritage address |
| Kerr Village | Kerr Street between Speers Road and Lakeshore Road, just west of Sixteen Mile Creek | OPA 19 (in effect since June 2018) aims to revitalise it as a business district. Choice Properties lists 173 Lakeshore Road West, at Lakeshore and Brock Street, shadow-anchored by Fortinos | Independent food, services and owner-operators priced out of downtown |
| Bronte Village | Bronte Road and Lakeshore Road West, beside Bronte Harbour | Run by the Bronte BIA (2360 Lakeshore Road West). OPA 18 since June 2018; the Town is now preparing a Community Planning Permit by-law for the village. The old Bronte Village Mall was redeveloped into 10- and 14-storey rental buildings with ground-floor retail | Cafes, take-out, marine and waterfront-leisure businesses |
What is in the Uptown Core and along Dundas Street?
North of the QEW, retail follows Dundas Street. The Uptown Core, around Dundas and Trafalgar, is the big one. Further east and west you get grocery-anchored centres serving the newer subdivisions.
| Name | Address / area | Size and anchors (as at 2026 – check before you visit) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| SmartCentres Oakville North | 234 Hays Boulevard, Uptown Core (Dundas Street and Trafalgar Road) | About 506,000 sq ft. Walmart-anchored, with over 50 retailers, restaurants and banks including Real Canadian Superstore, Dollarama and the LCBO, per the owner | Big-box runs; national chains wanting the north Oakville trade area |
| Uptown Core Terminal | 271 Oak Walk Drive | Oakville Transit hub for Routes 1, 19 and 20, beside the Uptown Core retail | Transit-reliant staff and shoppers |
| Shoppes on Dundas | 2501–2525 Prince Michael Drive, Joshua Creek (Dundas Street and Eighth Line) | About 65,800 sq ft (First Capital). Shoppers Drug Mart, Starbucks, TD Bank and a daycare named by the landlord | Services, cafes and childcare for Joshua Creek |
| Fortinos, 493 Dundas Street West | Dundas Street West and Neyagawa Boulevard | Standalone Fortinos, per Choice Properties | Grocery for north-west Oakville; nearby pad and plaza tenants |
| 3000 Sixth Line and 21 Dundas Street West | Sixth Line at Kaitting Trail, north of Dundas | Active Town file for a phased community with an interim one-storey retail building; a separate site plan for a one-storey Shoppers Drug Mart was filed in June 2026 | Future convenience retail for the new north Oakville neighbourhoods |
What about east Oakville and Winston Churchill Boulevard?
East of Ford Drive the shopping thins out until you reach Winston Churchill Boulevard and the Mississauga border. The one centre I could verify there with a current owner page is at 2460 Winston Churchill Boulevard. Choice Properties lists it as anchored by Winners, Staples and Sport Chek, with a parking ratio of 5.1 spaces per 1,000 sq ft. A fast-food pad on the same address has an active Town site plan to rebuild with a double drive-through (file 1401.071/01).
I have left out other “Winston Churchill power centre” names I have seen online, because I could not confirm their current owner, address or tenants from a source I trust. If you are looking at a unit out there, ask me and I will pull the title and the landlord.
Which neighbourhood plazas serve Glen Abbey, Bronte and west Oakville?
West Oakville is plaza country. The cleanest current record of which plazas matter is the Oakville Transit route list, because buses are routed through the centres people actually use. The table below uses the names and routes as published. I have not given street addresses where I could not confirm them, so confirm the exact address with the landlord before you visit.
| Plaza | Oakville Transit routes that serve it | What I can confirm | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Oakville Centre (formerly Hopedale Mall) | 3, 14/14A, 15 (bus loop) | At Rebecca Street and Third Line; a terminus for Routes 3 and 15 | Everyday shopping for Bronte and Hopedale residents |
| Upper Oakville Shopping Centre | 6 (Upper Middle), 20 (Northridge) | On the Upper Middle route between Sheridan College and the east end | Grocery and services for central-north Oakville |
| The Abbey Plaza | 3, 6 | Glen Abbey plaza on the Third Line and Upper Middle routes | Glen Abbey errands, clinics, tutoring |
| Queenline Centre | 3, 18 | On the Glen Abbey South and Third Line routes | Small-bay service tenants |
| Dorval Crossing | 18, 28 | On both Glen Abbey routes | Quick-service food, services |
| Oakville Commons and Trafalgar Village | 4, 10, 18, 28; Trafalgar Village also 15 | On the Speers–Cornwall corridor towards Oakville GO | Commuter-friendly retail and services |
| Bronte Plaza | 4, 10 | West end of the Speers–Cornwall route | West Oakville convenience |
| Fox Creek Plaza, Sunvalley Square and Rio Centre | 3 and 5 (Fox Creek, Sunvalley); 5 (Rio Centre) | On the Route 5 Dundas corridor towards the Uptown Core | North-west Oakville convenience |
“Glen Abbey plazas” is how people search, but there is no single centre by that name. The Abbey Plaza, Queenline Centre and Dorval Crossing are the ones Glen Abbey residents actually mean.
Which Oakville plazas have redevelopment applications?
I checked the Town of Oakville’s active development application pages for all seven wards in October 2026. These are the files that touch existing retail, or that add new street-level retail:
| Site | Town file | What is proposed | Status as at October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SmartCentres Oakville North – 256, 260 and 294 Hays Blvd and 271 Oak Park Blvd | 1413.053/01 | Mixed-use building with two residential towers of 27 and 30 storeys | Active site plan; first submission April 2022. SmartCentres describes the land as a 52-acre master-planned site |
| 90 Oak Park Boulevard (Uptown Core) | 1414.030/01 | Phase 1: 12-storey mixed-use building, 229 units, about 1,080 m² of retail | Active site plan; fourth submission November 2024 |
| 3000 Sixth Line and 21 Dundas Street West | Z.1316.12 and 1316.003/02 | 693 units in four mid-rise buildings and townhouses, plus an interim one-storey retail building; separate Shoppers Drug Mart site plan | Rezoning under review, third submission March 2026; site plan first submission June 2026 |
| 550 Kerr Street (Kerr Village) | Z.1616.55 | Three 16-storey buildings on a 6-storey podium, 472 units, grade-related commercial space | Rezoning; last listed submission October 2021 |
| 42 Lakeshore Road West | OPA 1715.25 and Z.1715.25 | 10-storey mixed-use building, 152 units, about 630 m² of commercial and retail space | Listed as active; staff reports November 2023 and January 2024 |
| Graywood Bronte Village – 2365 to 2377 Lakeshore Road West | 1729.075/01 | Seven-storey building, 157 condominium units, about 618 m² of retail | Active site plan; sixth submission December 2024 |
| Costco Oakville – 3471 to 3521 Wyecroft Road | 1635.031/01 | New warehouse of about 15,663 m² with 1,000 parking spaces and a gas bar | Listed under recently approved site plans |
Always confirm the latest status by searching the file number on the Town’s ward pages or emailing [email protected]. A listing on the page does not mean a decision has been made.
Is Oakville Place being redeveloped?
Not on paper, as far as I can find. The big change at Oakville Place is a tenant change, not a planning file. Hudson’s Bay closed its store there in June 2025. RioCan moved to take back the space, and in November 2025 Nations Fresh Foods was announced for the whole roughly 130,000 sq ft box, with a grocery store and food hall on the first floor and a family entertainment floor above, planned to open in 2027.
I found no active Town of Oakville development application for 240 Leighland Avenue in the October 2026 ward lists. If you hear talk of towers at Oakville Place, ask for the file number. Without one, it is talk.
Is Hopedale Mall (South Oakville Centre) being redeveloped?
As at October 2026, I found no active Town application for the South Oakville Centre, the plaza most people still call Hopedale Mall, at Rebecca Street and Third Line. It remains an Oakville Transit terminal for Routes 3 and 15. Older plazas on large surface lots are exactly the sites that get redeveloped across the GTA, so if you are leasing there, ask the landlord directly about any demolition or relocation clause in the lease.
What zoning and planning rules apply to Oakville plazas?
Oakville has two zoning by-laws in effect, both listed on the Town’s zoning by-laws page:
- Zoning By-law 2014-014 covers most of the town outside North Oakville, including every centre on the Cornwall, Speers, Kerr, Lakeshore and Upper Middle corridors.
- Zoning By-law 2009-189 covers North Oakville, between Dundas Street and Highway 407.
Use the Town’s interactive zoning map to find the zone on a specific plaza, then read the permitted uses for that zone and any site-specific exception. The planning picture is also moving:
- Midtown Oakville (OPA 70, adopted by Council on 18 February 2025) covers about 103 hectares around Oakville GO, from just below the QEW to Cornwall Road and the rail line, between Sixteen Mile Creek and Chartwell Road. It is still waiting on the Minister’s decision, and the Province announced Minister’s Zoning Orders for the transit-oriented community in April 2026.
- Uptown Core growth area review was referred back to staff on 22 September 2025 and is on hold. Council asked staff to look at, among other things, the viability of the office and retail elements.
- Bronte Village is getting a Community Planning Permit by-law, which would replace separate rezoning and site plan steps with one permit process.
How do I lease space in an Oakville plaza?
The process is the same in Oakville as anywhere in the GTA, but the stakes are higher because rents and household incomes in south Oakville are high and good units do not sit empty long. This is the order I work in with business clients:
- Pick the trade area first, then the plaza. The landlord pages publish household income and population at 1, 3 and 5 km. Use them, but sanity-check against who actually walks past at your hours.
- Check zoning before you fall in love. Confirm the zone under By-law 2014-014 or 2009-189 and that your use is permitted. A clinic, daycare, restaurant or place of worship can trigger a change of use permit.
- Read the use clause and the exclusives. Grocery-anchored plazas almost always protect the anchor and existing tenants. My guide to the commercial lease use clause explains exclusives and radius restrictions.
- Ask about redevelopment. On any site in the table above, or any older plaza on a big lot, look for demolition and relocation clauses.
- Negotiate the whole lease, not just the rent. Additional rent, term, renewal options, signage and fit-out allowances all matter. See the six commercial lease decisions that matter.
I help business owners find and lease plaza space, and I help buyers and sellers who want to live near the shops they use every week. If you are weighing the town itself, my Oakville realtor guide and why Oakville remains a GTA favourite are good next reads.
My take
If I were opening a neighbourhood service business in Oakville today, I would start on the grocery-anchored centres along Cornwall Road and Dundas Street, because the anchor brings daily traffic and the landlords publish real trade-area numbers. I would treat the main streets as a premium choice for businesses that need foot traffic and a brand address. And I would go into the Uptown Core with my eyes open, because the SmartCentres land is in active long-term redevelopment and the Town’s review of the area is on hold.
Watch out
Do not sign a plaza lease on the strength of the anchor tenant alone. Anchors close, as the Hudson’s Bay closure at Oakville Place showed in 2025, and a dark anchor can cut your traffic for a year or more. Ask whether your lease has a co-tenancy clause, what happens if the anchor leaves, and whether the landlord has a demolition right. Confirm any redevelopment file with the Town before you commit to a long fit-out.
Find me space in an Oakville plaza
Tell me your business, size and area and I will shortlist plaza units, check the zoning and flag any redevelopment file.
I will come back to you personally, usually the same day. If it is urgent, call 833-330-1925.
Frequently asked questions
What is the biggest shopping mall in Oakville?
Oakville Place at 240 Leighland Avenue is the only large enclosed mall, at about 452,000 sq ft over two floors. By floor area, SmartCentres Oakville North at 234 Hays Boulevard is bigger, at about 506,000 sq ft, but it is an open-air power centre rather than an indoor mall.
What is replacing Hudson’s Bay at Oakville Place?
Hudson’s Bay closed at Oakville Place in June 2025. Nations Fresh Foods was announced in November 2025 for the roughly 130,000 sq ft space, with a grocery store and food hall on the first floor and family entertainment above, planned to open in 2027.
Is Hopedale Mall still open?
The plaza at Rebecca Street and Third Line now goes by South Oakville Centre and is still an Oakville Transit terminal for Routes 3 and 15. As at October 2026 I found no active Town of Oakville redevelopment application for it, but check the Ward 1 and Ward 2 application pages for the latest.
Which Oakville plazas are being redeveloped?
Active Town files include the SmartCentres Uptown Core land on Hays and Oak Park Boulevard, 90 Oak Park Boulevard, 3000 Sixth Line at Dundas, 550 Kerr Street, 42 Lakeshore Road West and the Graywood site in Bronte Village. Confirm any file number with the Town at [email protected] before relying on it.
What zoning by-law applies to a plaza in Oakville?
Most of Oakville, south of Dundas Street, is under Zoning By-law 2014-014. North Oakville, between Dundas Street and Highway 407, is under Zoning By-law 2009-189. Use the Town’s interactive zoning map to find the zone and any site-specific exception for a specific plaza.
Where is the Whole Foods in Oakville?
First Capital lists Whole Foods as an anchor of Olde Oakville Market Place at 271 to 361 Cornwall Road, between Trafalgar Road and Chartwell Road. The same centre lists LCBO and Shoppers Drug Mart. Check current store hours with the retailer before you go.
How do I find a unit for lease in an Oakville plaza?
Start with the trade area, confirm your use is permitted under the zoning, then compare units across landlords and read the use clause and exclusives before you offer. Tell me what you need and I will shortlist plaza units and check the planning file for each.
Sources
- Oakville Place — Directory — Mall address and current key retailers
- Wikipedia — Oakville Place — Opening 1981, size, RioCan ownership, Hudson’s Bay closure June 2025
- Wikipedia — Nations Fresh Foods — Planned 2027 Oakville Place store, size and layout
- SmartCentres — SmartCentres Oakville North — 234 Hays Blvd address, 506,000 sq ft, Walmart and other tenants
- First Capital — Shops of Oakville South — Address, size and Longo’s anchor; sister pages for Olde Oakville Market Place, Maple Grove Village and Shoppes on Dundas
- Choice Properties — 2460 Winston Churchill Boulevard — Winners, Staples and Sport Chek anchors
- Town of Oakville — Shoppers Realty Inc., 3000 Sixth Line and 21 Dundas Street West (Z.1316.12) — 693 units, interim retail building, submission dates
- Town of Oakville — Midtown Oakville Growth Area Review — OPA 70, boundaries, Minister’s Zoning Orders
- Wikipedia — Bronte, Ontario — South Oakville Centre (Hopedale Mall) at Rebecca Street and Third Line; Bronte Village Mall redevelopment
- Wikipedia — Oakville Transit — South Oakville Centre (formerly Hopedale Mall) and neighbourhood plazas served by each route
Related reading
- Lease review conditions for commercial tenants
- Opening a place of worship in a plaza
- Leasing discount retail space in a plaza
- Clothing boutique retail space in Ontario
- How much is my house worth in Oakville?
About the author — Jatin Dua, Toronto and GTA real estate broker
I am Jatin Dua, Broker of Record and co-founder of RE/MAX Quantum Realty Inc., Brokerage, Unit 101, 799 The Queensway, Toronto. I work with buyers, sellers, investors and business owners across Toronto and the GTA. Four-plus years of active GTA transactions, over $100 million in sales volume and 100+ families helped sell. Every rule and fact here is linked to a source below, so you can check it without asking me.
Reach me at [email protected] or 833-330-1925, or book a call.