Mill Woods Town Centre
A neighbourhood shopping centre serving Mill Woods in southeast Edmonton, Alberta.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Mill Woods Town Centre is a shopping centre in the Mill Woods area of southeast Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was conceived as the commercial core of a planned, largely self-contained suburban community. The broader Mill Woods development began in the 1970s, with planners intending the neighbourhood to combine housing, shopping, recreation, offices and institutional uses so that residents would have access to most daily needs within the community. In 1969, Edmonton reserved land near the centre of the planned district for a town-centre project. The commercial component was ultimately advanced through a land transaction between the City of Edmonton and Woodward's. In February 1984, Woodward's acquired approximately 60 acres of commercial land for the proposed centre and exchanged 80 acres of residentially zoned land in northwest Edmonton. The original proposal called for a roughly 400,000-square-foot shopping mall. Opening plans initially targeted 1987, but the project was delayed after Woodward's transferred its real-estate assets to Cambridge in 1985. The centre opened officially on August 17, 1988, with Woodward's, Kmart, Safeway and BiWay among its principal anchors. At opening, it contained about 110 stores and services, and the Mill Woods branch of the Edmonton Public Library also operated within the mall. Contemporary descriptions placed construction cost at approximately C$53 million. The tenant mix changed substantially as department-store and grocery chains underwent corporate restructuring. Woodward's entered bankruptcy in 1993, and its space was converted for Eaton's. Eaton's and Kmart later closed in 1998; their former areas were subsequently occupied by Zellers and Canadian Tire. Zellers was replaced by Target in 2013, but Target exited Canada in 2015 and closed the Mill Woods location on April 2 of that year. Safeway also left the centre in 2013, with a Co-op grocery store taking over the space in 2014. The Edmonton Public Library branch moved to a standalone location approximately one block away in 2015. The centre's role extends beyond its enclosed retail space. It includes a range of retailers and services, with Canadian Tire and Shoppers Drug Mart among the identified occupants, as well as satellite stores on surrounding exterior parcels. The Mill Woods Transit Centre is situated along the property's north side on Hewes Way. Long-term redevelopment planning has increasingly focused on combining retail with housing and improved public transit. In 2017, then-owner RioCan announced a multi-decade redevelopment concept involving additional infill, a new transit facility associated with the future Mill Woods LRT station, and two residential towers planned at 18 storeys each. The Mill Woods LRT station opened in November 2023 as part of Edmonton's Valley Line Southeast. Co-op announced in July 2022 that its Mill Woods Town Centre grocery location would close at the end of January 2023, citing declining sales. In December 2022, local developer Maclab Development Group acquired the centre and indicated that it intended to add more infill housing. The property therefore represents both a conventional suburban mall and an evolving mixed-use town-centre site, with its future shaped by redevelopment, residential intensification and integration with Edmonton's expanding transit network.
History
Mill Woods Town Centre developed as the commercial focus of Mill Woods, a planned suburban district in southeast Edmonton. The community's development began in the 1970s and was intended to provide a relatively self-contained environment containing housing, retail, recreation, offices and institutions. Edmonton had reserved land near the geographic centre of Mill Woods in 1969 for a larger town-centre project rather than an isolated shopping facility. Woodward's became the principal developer of the shopping-centre component. In February 1984, it obtained roughly 60 acres of commercial land from the City of Edmonton through a land exchange involving approximately 80 acres of residentially zoned property in northwest Edmonton. The proposed mall was expected to contain about 400,000 square feet. Some city councillors questioned whether the municipal land had been sold or exchanged at an appropriate value. The project was originally expected to open in 1987, but the schedule moved to late 1988 after Woodward's sold its real-estate assets to Cambridge in October 1985. Mill Woods Town Centre opened on August 17, 1988. Its initial anchors included Woodward's, Kmart, Safeway and BiWay, and the first phase contained approximately 110 stores and services. The Edmonton Public Library's Mill Woods branch also occupied space in the centre. The reported construction cost was C$53 million at the time of opening. The centre subsequently experienced the same retail-sector changes that affected many Canadian malls. Woodward's went bankrupt in 1993, and its space was taken over by Eaton's. When Eaton's and Kmart closed in 1998, their former premises were converted to Zellers and Canadian Tire, respectively. Zellers was replaced by Target on May 6, 2013, but Target closed the location on April 2, 2015 as part of its withdrawal from Canada. Safeway closed in 2013 and the space was converted to a Co-op store in 2014. The library branch left the mall in 2015 for a dedicated facility approximately one block away. The property has always functioned as more than an enclosed mall. Additional satellite retailers and services operate on exterior parcels, while the Mill Woods Transit Centre occupies the north side of the site along Hewes Way. In 2017, RioCan, then the building owner, presented a long-range redevelopment plan involving new transit infrastructure, residential intensification and two 18-storey towers. The plan reflected a broader shift from conventional single-purpose retail toward a denser, mixed-use town centre connected to rapid transit. Co-op announced in July 2022 that it would close its Mill Woods Town Centre store at the end of January 2023 because of declining sales. In December 2022, Maclab Development Group acquired the shopping centre and announced an intention to add more infill housing. The area's transit role was strengthened when the Mill Woods LRT station opened in November 2023. The centre's current identity is consequently tied to both everyday retail and the continuing redevelopment of one of Edmonton's planned suburban cores.
- 2023
Mill Woods LRT station opens
[1]The Mill Woods LRT station opened in November, reinforcing the site's role in a transit-connected town-centre area.
- 2022
Maclab Development Group acquires the property
[1]Maclab Development Group purchased the centre and identified additional infill housing as a future development priority.
- 2017
Long-term redevelopment plan announced
[1]RioCan outlined a redevelopment concept involving transit infrastructure, additional infill and two 18-storey residential towers.
- 2015
Target exits and library relocates
[1]Target closed on April 2 as its parent company withdrew from Canada, and the Edmonton Public Library branch moved to a standalone location nearby.
- 2014
Co-op takes over former Safeway space
[1]A Co-op grocery store opened in the former Safeway premises.
- 2013
Target replaces Zellers and Safeway closes
[1]Target opened in the former Zellers location on May 6, while Safeway closed its Mill Woods Town Centre store during the same year.
- 1998
Eaton's and Kmart spaces receive new anchors
[1]The closures of Eaton's and Kmart led to the introduction of Zellers and Canadian Tire in the former anchor areas.
- 1993
Woodward's space converted to Eaton's
[1]Following Woodward's bankruptcy, its anchor space was converted for Eaton's.
- 1988
Shopping centre opens
[1]Mill Woods Town Centre officially opened on August 17 with about 110 stores and services, including Woodward's, Kmart, Safeway and BiWay.
- 1984
Woodward's secures commercial development land
[1]Woodward's acquired approximately 60 acres of commercial land through a land exchange with Edmonton and proposed a roughly 400,000-square-foot shopping mall.
Products and positioning
A community-oriented suburban shopping centre and mixed-use town-centre property serving residents of Mill Woods and surrounding southeast Edmonton neighbourhoods.
Shopping-centre services · 1988
Retail and service tenancy
Mill Woods Town Centre provides a mix of retail stores, food and beverage businesses, professional services and everyday convenience offerings. The centre has been anchored at different times by department stores, grocery operators, a hardware retailer and a pharmacy. The current and recent tenant mix identified in reference material includes Canadian Tire and Shoppers Drug Mart, supported by satellite stores on surrounding exterior properties.
Public transit facility
Mill Woods Transit Centre
The Mill Woods Transit Centre is located on the north side of the shopping-centre property along Hewes Way. It connects the retail site with Edmonton's public-transit network and forms part of the centre's broader role as a community hub. Later redevelopment planning linked the property to improved rapid-transit access through the Mill Woods LRT station.
Brand decisions
2022
Acquisition by Maclab Development GroupM&ABackground
The centre was operating amid tenant changes and continuing discussion of housing and transit-oriented redevelopment.
Action taken
Maclab Development Group acquired Mill Woods Town Centre and stated plans to add more infill housing to the site.
Aftermath
Ownership shifted to a local developer, with the property's future increasingly framed around residential intensification as well as retail.
2022
Co-op grocery store closureOtherBackground
Co-op reported declining sales at its Mill Woods Town Centre location.
Action taken
Co-op announced that the store would close at the end of January 2023.
Aftermath
The closure removed a major grocery tenant and created another significant vacancy in the centre's evolving anchor mix.
2017
Long-term mixed-use redevelopment strategyStrategyBackground
The property was being repositioned in the context of changing suburban retail patterns and the planned expansion of rapid transit to Mill Woods.
Action taken
RioCan announced a redevelopment concept extending over approximately 25 years, with a new transit station, additional infill and two planned 18-storey residential towers.
Aftermath
The plan established a long-term direction toward a denser, transit-connected, mixed-use town centre, although the reference material does not document completion of every proposed component.
Sources2 sources
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