Article
Strategic Leasing by CBRE Revitalizes Halifax’s Spring Garden Road
September 3, 2025 4 Minute Read
Redevelopment and CBRE’s leasing efforts are breathing new life into downtown Halifax’s Spring Garden Road.
Several real estate projects and the arrival of new retailers have improved the shopping experience along a key downtown artery, which now boasts a mix of popular local vendors and international brands. It has become one of Canada’s busiest pedestrian streets and a leading Atlantic Canada shopping district.
CBRE Halifax’s Mat Houston helped local developer Westwood Developments secure deals with Arc’teryx, John Fluevog and Eastlink in new mixed-use projects along Spring Garden Road. “These are big wins for our city,” he says. “Spring Garden Road is becoming a premier shopping destination with access to retailers you can’t find anywhere else in Atlantic Canada.”
Embracing Change
Westwood completed The Doyle, a seven-storey mixed-use development, in 2018. This changed the face of Spring Garden Road, previously dotted with outdated three-storey buildings. The Doyle is home to local favourite menswear store Duggers, national retailers Judith & Charles and Lululemon, and international brand Fjällräven.
More recently Westwood built The Mills, a five-storey mixed-use project, on the site of the old Mills Brothers department store. The development has 217 residential units, 25,000 sq. ft. of ground floor retail and an interior courtyard. Westwood worked with Houston and the previous landowner, Mickey MacDonald, to lease the project’s retail portion.
“Westwood has a clear vision for its buildings, the retail component and the neighbourhood,” says Houston. “It wants all its tenants to succeed. We’ve been inspired to go above and beyond and have really been creative.”
Opposites Attract
The team carefully curated the tenant mix on Spring Garden Road, selecting brands from different niches to create a well-rounded shopping experience and limit competition between tenants in the same building. Deals were inked with Arc’teryx and John Fluevog Shoes at The Mills; both brands are new to Atlantic Canada. The deals will complement a new flagship for luxury jeweller Touch of Gold, the only licensed Rolex dealer in the area, which Westwood secured prior to onboarding CBRE.
Westwood passed up on quick-service food prospects in favour of a single 250-seat Italian restaurant operated by Bertossi Group, which owns Halifax’s renowned The Bicycle Thief. The Mills is now 80% leased and Houston is working on filling its remaining units, along with a few spaces at The Doyle. “I have no doubt that these will lease up fast because the location and design of the properties are among the best in Halifax.”
Pedestrian Paradise
Imagine Spring Garden Road, a municipal multimillion-dollar revitalization plan, also contributed to the area’s renewed appeal. The project widened sidewalks and improved the landscaping with trees and planters.
“There’s been so much foot traffic that there have been talks about turning Spring Garden Road into a pedestrian-only area,” says Houston. “That could be interesting for street-facing retailers. Either way, we’re working hard to make sure shoppers have a great experience when they come to Spring Garden Road.”
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