The section of Trim Road between Hwy. 174 and St. Joseph Blvd. is under-going another transformation. If you have driven down that part of Trim Road re-cently you may have noticed the construc-tion happening on the west side of Trim next to the ESSO gas station where three new buildings are going up.
The building closest to the ESSO station will soon be the home of a new A&W fran-chise, while the second building will be a Kal Tire centre. The third building closest to Trim Road will house an Osmow’s Sha-warma takeout restaurant along with four other tenants that have yet to be determined.
The section of Trim Road between Hwy 174 and St. Joseph Blvd. already has more than 29,000 cars a day passing through it a day. With the eastern portion of the LRT expected to open early next fall along with the Trim Road LRT station, traffic should increase exponentially which will be music to the ears of the local business in the area such as the KFC and Starbucks on the east side of Trim, and the businesses that will be located in the new plaza.
Cardinal Creek Village, located on St. Joseph Blvd. just east of Trim Road, is alsoexpected to double in size over the next two to three years.
The new commercial plaza currently being built is owned by the same people who own the La Maison d’Or jewellery store in Place d’Orléans.
La Maison d’Or and Harden Realties owner Brent Harden says they began making overtures to buy the property on Trim Road several years ago before the east extension of the LRT was being discussed.
One of the issues they faced at the time was the fact that the site was unserviced, but that fact was offset by the fact that it was an ideal location, being on one of the busiest roads in the east end and the existence of the Orléans Community Improvement Program (CIP) which was established to help bring jobs to the area through tax incentives.
Once they are fully occupied, the busi-nesses located on the property will create between 80 and 90 jobs.
Harden’s group successfully applied to the CIP program before going ahead with their plans to develop the site, but the program was eliminated shortly after Mark Sutcliffe was elected mayor.
Fortunately, the developers’ application was grandfathered and allowed to stay in place due in no small part to the advocacy of Orléans East - Cumberland city councillor Matt Luloff who saw the value of the development.
“I am very focused on economic develop-ment in Orléans and ensuring that we expand the amount of jobs that are available here, especially through the support of our local businesses,” says Luloff.
Harden says he’s not sure whether they would have proceeded with construction without the benefit of the CIP or not. But he is sure they would have missed out on the program without Luloff’s intervention.
“He really helped get this through,” says Harden.
The plaza is scheduled to be open for busi-ness on Nov. 1. Anyone interested in leasing one of the remaining units should contact Fraser Paddison at Marcus & Millichap at 613-364-2303.
SAVED BY THE BELL 90s DANCE PARTY at St. Peter High School on Charlemagne Blvd. featuring DJ Mace, DJ Kam and DJ Bounce from 7 p.m. to midnight. Must be 19+. ID required at the door. This is a fundraising event hosted by the St. Peter High School Parents Council. For advance tickets visit 
CUMBERLAND FARMERS MARKET from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the R.J. Kennedy Arena in Cumberland Village with 85 local farmers and vendors ready to showcase their freshest produce, handmade goods, and unique finds.
90s HITS MUSICAL BINGO 7:30 p.m. at the Orléans Brewing Co. 4380 Innes Rd., next to McDonalds. Hosted by Shine.
OYSTER NIGHT every Wednesday from 6-9 pm at the Orléans Brewing Co. Two types of oysters served with lemon, Tobasco, horseradish, salt and mignonette. The Orléans Brewing Co. is located at 4380 Innes Rd., next to McDonalds.
ORLEANS FARMERS MARKET every Thursday from 11 am to 4 pm in the parking lot at the Ray Friel Recreation Centre on Tenth Line Road. Shop the freshest seasonal produce, meat and dairy, baked goods, prepared foods, crafts and more while getting to know the folks who grew and made it.
