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Residents living near the shopping centre have been curious about the developer’s plans for the site ever since the mall lost its key tenant, Walmart, in January 2016. The 120,000 square feet it occupied continues to sit empty. Many of the stores in the mall have also been abandoned.

Lincoln Fields first opened its doors in May 1972 and was billed as the city’s “third-enclosed shopping centre.” It housed Ottawa’s first Woolco store, an Ogilvy’s department store outlet and, until 1984, a Loblaws.

The shopping mall underwent a facelift in 1985 with the addition of a skylight court and rebranding as Lincoln Heights Galleria.

It now has a large Metro grocery store and a Rexall store. The Rexall, Metro and a Moore’s clothing store will remain on site in the new buildings, according to the company’s submissions to the city.

A Wendy’s restaurant, which sat in the parking lot near Carling Avenue, was incinerated in a fire that police believe was deliberately set in November.

News about the plans for Lincoln Fields comes just days after Kitchissippi and River ward residents got their first look at detailed plans for the first phase of the redevelopment of Westgate Shopping Centre on Tuesday night.

An open house at the Alexander Community Centre attracted about 100 people, who saw plans that included a 24-storey mixed-use building erected at the corner of Carling Avenue and Merivale Road, where Monkey Joe’s restaurant currently sits. The design plan calls for 216 residential units — all apartments rather than condominiums — and 20,000 square feet of retail space. The first phase will include 192 underground parking spots, and 32 surface spots, as well as parking for nearly 200 bicycles.

Plans for a second phase of development at that property include four more mixed-use buildings — two at 36 storeys and two at 22 storeys — and may take 15 to 20 years to complete.

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