Owners of the Norfolk Mall property have requested a boundary adjustment to bring it into the Town of Tillsonburg, which also revealed plans for a Winner’s store set to open in 2026.
A letter from E & E Mc Laughlin Ltd. addressed to the council mentioned that 22,500 square feet of the old Walmart space at 400 Simcoe Street will be transformed into a Winners store, expected to open in July 2026. TK Liquidation will still occupy the remaining area of the former Walmart site.
In addition, a new standalone building measuring 40,000 square feet is planned for construction on the property, aiming to accommodate two or three more businesses.
Kassandra Way, chief operating officer with E & E Mc Laughlin, noted ongoing problems with loitering in the parking lot leading to noise and litter issues raised by nearby residents.
“Despite multiple calls from both ourselves and our neighbours, police response times from Simcoe have proven ineffective, as the individuals in question often leave before officers arrive,” Way wrote.
With these concerns in mind and given that water and sanitary sewer services are unavailable in Norfolk, Way has asked for this property to be included within Tillsonburg through a boundary adjustment.
“This has been a key property that has been in a number of discussions dating all the way back to the boundary adjustment committee in 2021. It has a direct impact on our commercial growth even though right now it’s outside the boundary of the Town of Tillsonburg. This is an opportunity to try to work to try to bring it in the town of Tillsonburg,” said Tillsonburg Coun. Chris Parker during discussions about this letter at council’s Oct. 14 meeting.
Mayor Deb Gilvesy explained that property owners can request their land be added to specific municipalities.
The council passed a motion recognizing there’s a need for more commercial land and pointed out that currently, Oxford County provides services for the mall while seeking support from them for including 400 Simcoe Street within town boundaries.
On Tuesday, Norfolk County issued a statement saying they are not considering any boundary changes at this time and there have been no talks about such changes with neighboring municipalities.
“Discussion and negotiation about any municipal boundary change occurs between willing parties and requires agreement from both parties. Often, considerable financial compensation is considered for the municipality giving up land,” stated their release.
– With files from
Jeff Helsdon is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter based at the Woodstock Ingersoll Echo. The initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
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