Exhibit 5.1

[Goodwin Procter Letterhead]

November 2, 2018

Retail Properties of America, Inc.

2021 Spring Road, Suite 200

Oak Brook, Illinois 60523

Re:    Securities Being Registered under Registration Statement on Form S-3

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have acted as counsel to you in connection with your filing of a Registration Statement on Form S-3 (as amended or supplemented, the “Registration Statement”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), relating to the registration by Retail Properties of America, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”) of the offering of (i) Class A common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), of the Company, (ii) preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share, of the Company (the “Preferred Stock”), which may be issued as such or in the form of depositary shares (the “Depositary Shares”) evidenced by depositary receipts issued against deposit of shares of Preferred Stock pursuant to a deposit agreement to be entered into between the Company and a bank or trust company selected by the Company (the “Depositary”), (iii) debt securities of the Company (“Debt Securities”), (iv) warrants to purchase Common Stock, Preferred Stock, Depositary Shares or Units (as defined below) (“Warrants”), (v) units comprised of Common Stock, Preferred Stock, Stock Purchase Contracts (as defined below), Warrants and Debt Securities in any combination (“Units”), and (vi) purchase contracts of the Company, obligating the holders thereof to purchase from or sell to the Company, or the Company to sell to or purchase from such holders Common Stock, Preferred Stock, Depositary Shares or other securities at a future date or dates (the “Stock Purchase Contracts”). The Common Stock, Preferred Stock, Depositary Shares, Debt Securities, Warrants, Units and Stock Purchase Contracts are sometimes referred to collectively herein as the “Securities.” Securities may be issued in an unspecified number (with respect to Common Stock, Preferred Stock, Depositary Shares, Warrants, Units and Stock Purchase Contracts) or in an unspecified principal amount (with respect to Debt Securities). The Registration Statement provides that the Securities may be offered separately or together, in separate series, in amounts, at prices and on terms to be set forth in one or more prospectus supplements (each a “Prospectus Supplement”) to the prospectus contained in the Registration Statement.

We have reviewed such documents and made such examination of law as we have deemed appropriate to give the opinions set forth below. We have relied, without independent verification, on certificates of public officials and, as to matters of fact material to the opinions set forth below, on certificates of officers of the Company.

The opinions set forth below are limited to the Maryland General Corporation Law, the law of New York and the federal law of the United States. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, we express no opinion with respect to (i) state securities or “blue sky” laws, or (ii) state or federal antitrust laws.

For purposes of the opinions set forth below, without limiting any other exceptions or qualifications set forth herein, we have assumed that (i) each of the Debt Securities, Warrants and Units and Stock Purchase Contracts, and the indentures, warrant agreements, unit agreements and other agreements governing the Securities offered pursuant to the Registration Statement will be governed by the internal law of New York and (ii) after the issuance of any Securities offered pursuant to the

Retail Properties of America, Inc.

November 2, 2018

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Registration Statement, the total number of issued shares of Common Stock or Preferred Stock, as applicable, together with the total number of shares of such stock issuable upon the exercise, exchange, conversion or settlement, as the case may be, of any exercisable, exchangeable or convertible security (including without limitation any Unit or Stock Purchase Contract), as the case may be, then outstanding, will not exceed the total number of authorized shares of Common Stock or Preferred Stock, as applicable, available for issuance under the Company’s articles of incorporation, as amended and then in effect (the “Charter”).

For purposes of the opinions set forth below, we refer to the following as the “Future Authorization and Issuance” of Securities:

• with respect to any of the Securities, (a) the authorization by the Company of the amount, terms and issuance of such Securities (the “Authorization”) and (b) the issuance of such Securities in accordance with the Authorization therefor upon the receipt by the Company of the consideration (which, in the case of shares of Common Stock or Preferred Stock, is not less than the par value of such shares) to be paid therefor in accordance with the Authorization;

• with respect to Preferred Stock, (a) the establishment of the terms of such Preferred Stock by the Company in conformity with the Charter and applicable law and (b) the execution, acknowledgement and filing with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation of Maryland, and the effectiveness of, articles supplementary to the Charter setting forth the terms of such Preferred Stock in accordance with the Charter and applicable law;

• with respect to Depositary Shares, (a) the authorization, execution and delivery by the Company and the Depositary of the depositary agreement under which such Depositary Shares are to be issued, (b) the establishment of the terms of such Depositary Shares by the Company in conformity with the deposit agreement and applicable law, (c) the authorization, issuance and delivery to the Depositary of the shares of Preferred Stock represented by the Depositary Shares in accordance with the Charter and applicable law, and (d) the execution, countersignature and issuance of depositary receipts evidencing the Depositary Shares in accordance with the deposit agreement and applicable law;

• with respect to Debt Securities, (a) the authorization, execution and delivery of the indenture or a supplemental indenture relating to such Securities by the Company and the trustee thereunder and/or (b) the establishment of the terms of such Securities by the Company in conformity with the applicable indenture or supplemental indenture and applicable law, and (c) the execution, authentication and issuance of such Securities in accordance with the applicable indenture or supplemental indenture and applicable law; and

• with respect to Warrants, Units and Stock Purchase Contracts, (a) the authorization, execution and delivery by the Company and the other parties thereto of any agreement under which such Securities are to be issued and (b) the establishment of the terms of such Securities and the issuance of such Securities in conformity with those terms, the terms of any applicable agreement and applicable law.

Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the additional qualifications set forth below, we are of the opinion that:

1. Upon the Future Authorization and Issuance of shares of Common Stock, such shares of Common Stock will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

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November 2, 2018

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2. Upon the Future Authorization and Issuance of shares of Preferred Stock, such shares of Preferred Stock will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

3. Upon the Future Authorization and Issuance of Depositary Shares, such Depositary Shares will be validly issued and will entitle the holders thereof to the rights specified in such Depositary Shares and the deposit agreement.

4. Upon the Future Authorization and Issuance of Debt Securities, such Debt Securities will be valid and binding obligations of the Company.

5. Upon the Future Authorization and Issuance of Warrants, such Warrants will be valid and binding obligations of the Company.

6. Upon the Future Authorization and Issuance of Units, such Units will be valid and binding obligations of the Company.

7. Upon the Future Authorization and Issuance of Stock Purchase Contracts, such Stock Purchase Contracts will be valid and binding obligations of the Company.

The opinions expressed above are subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws of general application affecting the rights and remedies of creditors and to general principles of equity.

This opinion letter and the opinions it contains shall be interpreted in accordance with the Legal Opinion Principles issued by the Committee on Legal Opinions of the American Bar Association’s Business Law Section as published in 53 Business Lawyer 831 (May 1998).

We hereby consent to the inclusion of this opinion as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement and to the references to our firm under the caption “Legal Matters” in the Registration Statement. In giving our consent, we do not admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.

Very truly yours,

/s/ GOODWIN PROCTER LLP

GOODWIN PROCTER LLP