Dunrobin Plaza reopening seven years after being destroyed by tornado

The popular plaza in Dunrobin has found new life, more than seven years after it was destroyed by a powerful tornado. CTV’s Dylan Dyson reports.

It was a full circle moment for the community of Dunrobin in west Ottawa Wednesday, as new owners of the Dunrobin plaza announced the strip mall’s reopening.

On Wednesday, community leaders past and present gathered at the newly rebuilt plaza at 2808 Dunrobin Road to mark the rebirth of the community hub that was destroyed by a tornado seven years ago.

“It was devastating to us because we had some many successful businesses, especially the Dunrobin meat and grocery store; there was a butcher, there was a liquor store, it was the hub of the community,” said Eli El-Chantiry, the area’s former city councillor at the time of the tornado.

In September 2018, an EF3 tornado ripped through the Dunrobin area, as well as parts of western Ottawa and Quebec, destroying 56 homes and businesses.

“It was just like a warzone, there was roofs all over the place. These windows in this building were all smashed in,” recalled former Ottawa mayor Jim Watson.

Realtors Wadah Al-Ghosen and George Tayar with Royal LePage Team Realty Vertex Team helped broker the deal to purchase the strip mall, with Tayar as project manager.

Al-Ghosen told CTV News that after driving passed the abandoned location so many times, his client and team went out in search of the building’s owner, with a view of bringing back vital offerings to the community.

“We looked up who the owner was and we went and knocked on his door, and we asked him, what’s your plans for the plaza? How can we help? Because this plaza has to be revived,” he said.

Al-Ghosen says the property was purchased for “close to a million” dollars by Ratib Okal, a businessman from Mississauga, who was in attendance Wednesday for the unveiling.

“I talked to a few families from here and they said how important the plaza was and how hard [the loss was for] the whole town,” Okal told CTV News. “So that’s what made me invest in it more.”

Okal says he has business in the manufacturing and distribution fields, supplying Costco with Samira’s Kitchen products, with a warehouse located here in Ottawa.

“I will say thanks to Dunrobin for allowing me to be here. We are looking forward to having a great time in Dunrobin,” said Okal.

The new plaza is roughly 10,000 sq. ft. of commercial space with room for eight businesses.

“It’s going to serve the community,” says Al-Ghosen.

“One of the tenants is a pharmacist, and another tenant is a dentist. And we’re hoping to seal a deal with a famous coffee shop franchise.”

Al-Ghosen says building permits have already been submitted for the pharmacy and dental practice, with the hope the businesses will start opening in three to four months.

He adds they are still looking to add tenants such as a pizzeria and grocer.

“There’s not a ton of businesses in a community like this, so to lose the Dunrobin Plaza in one fell swoop and all of those businesses gone, was a huge loss for the community,” said current area councillor Clarke Kelly, who was also in attendance Wednesday.

“This building had to be torn down, it couldn’t be repurposed. A lot of people had roofs blown off. And it took in many cases, years to get back on track,” said Watson.

“This is the end of the trauma, really.”

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