Downtown Oshawa

Over the last 10 years, Downtown Oshawa has attracted many progressive developments and has truly become a central and vibrant hub for entertainment, culture, dining and academia.

By the numbers:

5,000 - number of people working
$541 - million dollars in building permit activity since 2006
47 - incentive loans given since 2003, representing a total value of $1.2 million
2,400 - students attend classes at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology's Downtown Campus (and an estimated 5,600 by 2015)
317,000 - sports fans and concert-goers went through the doors at the General Motors Centre in 2012
54 - dining establishments

A vibrant mix of business and culture

Downtown boasts unique retail stores, restaurants and spas all located within walking distance of the historic four corners at King and Simcoe Streets. On the entertainment side, the General Motors Centre is front and center - as a regional hub for professional sports and  and has hosted countless entertainment acts including Sir Elton John, Bob Dylan, the Tragically Hip and Kiss.

The first Friday of each month, hundreds gather at Downtown Oshawa's Robert McLaughlin Gallery (RMG) to celebrate local creative talent.  The RMG is the largest public gallery in Durham region, occupying an inspiring 36,000 square-foot building designed by world-renowned architect Arthur Erikson.  It features a permanent collection of over 4,000 works of art and four galleries of diverse and changing exhibitions.

What's New

The highly anticipated development of a Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Conference Centre at the corner of Richmond and SImcoe Streets will be breaking ground in June 2013. The facility will feature 125 guest rooms, an on-site restaurant and a conference centre and is expected to be completed by December 2014.

Opening in June 2013 - Downtown Oshawa is proud to welcome the city's first co-working office space facility, CORE21 Oshawa. Located at 21 Simcoe Street South, this versatile workspace will provide a collaborative, energetic and creative environment for small businesses, new entrepreneurs, community organizations and the local arts community.

New sidewalk cafés will be popping up at a number of locations in Downtown Oshawa this summer. Supporting the area's natural progression into a foodie district, these new cafés will allow patrons to enjoy great food in the best of Summer weather.

The Downtown Oshawa BIA goes mobile! In May 2013, a mobile version of downtownoshawa.ca was launched - click here to view.

Investing in our Downtown

From sidewalk improvements to lighting, the city continues to support the growth, development and beautification of the area. The City also offers a number of incentive programs to support private investment and development in the Downtown:

• The City's portion of Development Charges have been eliminated for Downtown development projects
• The Central Business District Community Improvement Plan - assists property owners with building façade and accessibility improvements, building code upgrades or assistance with building permit fees for key redevelopment projects
• The Simcoe Street South Implementation Plan - assists property owners with building façade improvements in this designated area
• The Downtown Shoulder Area Community Improvement Plan - supports residential development in identified Downtown Shoulder Areas

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