Article
CBRE Leases 90k SF of Retail at Calgary’s West Springs Landing
June 11, 2025 4 Minute Read
Leasing more than 90,000 sq. ft. of retail space at Calgary’s West Springs Landing earned Alistair Corbett and his team a place on the short-list as finalists for Deal of the Year at CBRE’s upcoming North America Retail Recognition event.
Corbett and his team, which includes Brandy Chorney, Cory Miles, Mac Marcinew and Jayce Rogers, have been involved with West Springs Landing since the project’s inception a decade ago.
“Creating vibrant retail spaces takes years of planning and partnership. This nomination is a testament to perseverance and a strong collaboration between our team and the developer,” Corbett says.
"Alistair and his team were the driving force behind the realization of this project,” says West Springs Landing developer Saed Jomaa, head of JOMAA Ltd . “Without their relentless efforts, we would still be facing the daunting task of transforming a vacant plot into a thriving, well-tenanted centre.
“Alistair and his team have truly been the architects of our vision."
Family Heirloom
The project originated in 2014 when Jomaa, the son of a local residential home building family, called Corbett for help after seeing his signs all over town.
Despite Jomaa’s lack of experience with retail-specific development, he had been tasked with developing a commercial project on a seven-acre site that had been in his family since the 70s.
“I’ve built the majority of my practice on preleasing ground up suburban shopping centres,” says Corbett. “He came knocking at the right door.”
They signed the listing agreement for the property at the end of 2014.
Change of Direction
The last decade hasn’t been smooth sailing for West Springs Landing.
Prior to Corbett’s involvement, Jomaa had been looking at building a high-density mixed-use retail and office development on the site. But Corbett felt that such a project would have been out of place in this high-end residential neighbourhood, making it difficult to lease up.
So he helped to revise the plan to optimize the retail layout and tailor offerings to the area. He assisted the developer in obtaining a zoning change and subdividing the site. The team then created a new plan for the tenant mix, solidifying the vision for the project.
“West Springs is a sought-after area,” says Corbett. “It has high household incomes and great schools, so we decided to make the development a family-friendly gathering space.”
“We carefully hand-picked each tenant to curate a unique experience,” he adds. “This was the opportunity of a lifetime for some of them.”
Dream Becomes Reality
It wasn’t always easy, and often far from certain, but that’s where Corbett and team are at their best. Rising construction costs and wavering tenant commitments required multiple pivots, redesigns and overtures to tenants and financing partners.
“I believed in the potential to serve this neighbourhood and while we had to evolve our thinking along the way, we saw our partners trust in the vision and the opportunity,” said Corbett.
On New Year’s Eve 2024, exactly 10 years to the day after signing the listing agreement, the conditions for the first 28 tenants were finally waived. This represented a total lease value of over $40 million across 90,232 sq. ft.
“It’s been challenge after challenge for the last decade,” says Corbett. “But even through financial and logistical struggles, we stayed committed to the project and pulled it off.”
Construction of West Springs Landing is underway with retail spaces expected to be delivered later this year.
“The centre will become a key retail, dining and community destination,” says Corbett. “Calgarians can look forward to a beautiful, thoughtfully curated centre opening soon.”
Congratulations to Corbett and team on an exceptional effort. Amid Calgary’s population boom, retail destinations like these can’t be developed fast enough.
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