Like many Mississauga residents, Omar Rais has a love-hate relationship with 鈥淩idgeway Plaza,鈥 a strip mall turned mega food court that has served up an endless buffet of troubles for the city.
Rais says he visits the plaza at 4700 Ridgeway Dr., officially called Erin Mills Centre, at least twice a week to grab Yemeni coffee, hang out with friends or check out one of at least 70 diverse eateries that have turned an average suburban strip mall into a destination for foodie tourists from across the country.
Rais said while he鈥檚 a fan of the multicultural 鈥渇ood market,鈥 he also sees it has become a victim of its own success, drawing thousands of visitors every weekend from across the GTA, as well as turning into a late-night gathering spot for local residents. Its popularity has turned it into a nuisance for those living nearby, a safety hazard for pedestrians and drivers 鈥 and a relentless headache for the city.
Many question who was responsible for allowing a plaza to be built so poorly 鈥 with few road signs, no setbacks and steps away from residential neighbourhoods 鈥 and for approving such a high concentration of restaurants in one place. And now, they wonder, who is ultimately responsible for bringing peace and order back to their community.
鈥淭his could be a prime opportunity for the city to lead by example, and demonstrate how housing, business and building a community can be all in one,鈥 said Rais, adding that instead Ridgeway emphasizes 鈥渃lassic鈥 car-oriented Mississauga sprawl. 鈥淭his plaza is a reflection of poor planning, and a poor use of space 鈥 especially when you think of what this could have been.鈥
Since October, 1,700 residents of nearby Churchill Meadow have signed a petition decrying the safety issues at Ridgeway Plaza following several unsanctioned rallies, cultural celebrations and car shows.
Andrew Francis Wallace / 色色啦 StarThe mall resembles most suburban strip malls, where storefronts surround hundreds of tight parking spots. But what sets Ridgeway apart are nearly 100 unique ethnic food options that have set up shop here, ranging from Peruvian to Morroccan to Iraqi.
However, the plaza wasn鈥檛 designed to be a food court, and lacks basics such as pedestrian-friendly walkways, benches or sufficient garbage receptacles, said Rais. The public transport to the area is also poor, despite requests from local businesses to the city for better bus service to accommodate workers. The busy roads around the area 鈥 and a dangerous left turn required to enter the plaza 鈥 make even a short walk from neighbouring homes to the plaza a treacherous one, locals told the Star.
More than 1,700 residents from nearby Churchill Meadows have signed a petition online asking for heightened police presence in the plaza following several unsanctioned rallies, cultural celebrations and car shows 鈥 videos of which have gone viral on social media.
鈥淟iving in Churchill Meadows used to be a peaceful haven where families could enjoy the tranquility of their own homes. However, this serenity has been shattered due to the reckless behaviour of some drivers and individuals frequenting the plaza nearby,鈥 one resident wrote.
Local councillor Matt Mahoney calls the plaza 鈥渢he wild west,鈥 and says he has received hundreds of complaints from residents over the past year.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no rules within the plaza,鈥 said Mahoney. 鈥淏ut for me, it鈥檚 about public safety, public nuisance and getting the problems to stop.鈥
Mahoney said for the past few months, the city has brought in various departments from police, bylaw, fire department and Peel public health to monitor the plaza. He said they found a variety of infractions, including overcrowding in restaurants, furniture blocking sidewalks and safety concerns in the kitchens.
The city also recently implemented a 鈥渘uisance gathering bylaw鈥 aimed at limiting large gatherings on public and private property. The city will be quick to fine any offenders up to $100,000, he said.
鈥淲e will keep giving tickets over and over again to the owners or board of directors to ensure they are putting measures in place to stop these problems, because to date they haven鈥檛 been helpful,鈥 he said.
A Peel police spokesperson said they have received 49 calls for the area since the beginning of 2023, but not all were enforcement-related. In a letter sent to residents in November, police said they were looking for ways to limit excessive noise and traffic congestion around the plaza.
Mahoney said the strip mall was always planned for the area and zoned as employment zone.
But a few years ago, the real estate agent and broker for Erin Mills Commercial Centre 鈥渄ecided without city input to make it into a food market,鈥 said Mahoney.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think anybody understood the challenges that would come out of a food market,鈥 said Mahoney, adding that the restaurants advertised the plaza as a gathering spot, and 鈥渋t became that.鈥
While the city is in charge of issuing and renewing licenses for restaurants, staff can鈥檛 limit what kind of business opens in the plaza, as long as it meets zoning rules, Mahoney says.
The 167 units in phase one of the project are all individually owned or leased to tenants. The second phase 鈥 also expected to include eateries 鈥 is still being developed. In March, the owners formed a condominium corporation for phase one and in July, elected a three-person board of directors, who are in charge of making sure their members follow the rules enacted by the condominium.
According to board members, the plaza opened in the spring of 2022, but was only officially registered as a commercial condominium this past year. During that year, there was little monitoring or oversight by city staff around matters such as illegal patio structures, garbage management or violations within the restaurants.
鈥淲hen we go in to fix the problems now, businesses ask us why and say, 鈥楤ut we operated like this for the past year, and no one had a problem. What changed?鈥欌 said Ameer Hamzah, president of the condo board.
鈥淥ur long-term goal is to make this place better,鈥 he said, adding that it takes time and funds to do so.
Property manager Yehudi Hendler said several improvements have been made to the space in the past few months, including installing speed bumps at entrances, hiring private security on the weekend, additional waste bins and private garbage pickup, increased traffic signs and removal of illegal patio furniture.
鈥淭he condominium corporation 鈥 met with the councillors and the city staff on several occasions to discuss challenges,鈥 said Hendler in an email. 鈥淢any recommendations from these meetings have already been implemented to make the plaza safe, secure and clean. We are committed to collaborate with the city and other parties to ensure issues are resolved in a timely fashion.鈥
He said they have also taken legal action against members to ensure they abide by the condo rules.
Resident Arek Pomietlarz, who lives a short walk away from the plaza, said he blames the city for the mess and the havoc the plaza has brought to his life. 鈥淭here鈥檚 way too many people over there. There鈥檚 nobody managing it,鈥 he said.
鈥淲e hold the city accountable. You can鈥檛 just come to any city and say, 鈥業 am going to set up a business and do what the heck I want: I am going to operate until a certain time, I am going to have parties.鈥
鈥淪omeone has to be responsible for this.鈥
But Rais said while he thinks better road signs and noise bylaws are necessary, he doesn鈥檛 agree with the heightened monitoring of an area that primarily serves people of colour.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think increasing policing actually does anything other than 鈥 giving the impression that they are doing something.鈥
He said instead of threats, the city should work with all parties 鈥 including residents and small-business owners 鈥 to create a committee or business improvement area to help find long-term solutions to the plaza鈥檚 problems.
鈥淎re you going to take something from the community 鈥 who are actively showing you that they want this space, and hit (business owners) with punitive measures and penalize them during one of the most expensive times in history?
鈥淢ississauga should be celebrating this plaza, not punishing it for its success.鈥
Correction - Jan. 10, 2024
This article was edited from a previous version that misstated the official name of the plaza as Erin Centre.聽
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