Retailer Wayfair Inc., has plans to occupy the entire building that formerly housed the Lord & Taylor department store at Ridge Hill in Yonkers. The building has been vacant since 2021. Wayfair announced in May that it would be opening a store at Ridge Hill in early 2027.
The former Lord & Taylor store encompasses 88,705 square feet with 39,165 square feet on the first floor and 59,540 square feet on the second floor. About 3,900 square feet of outdoor second floor space that had been used as an open-air arcade area would be enclosed for use by Wayfair.
Ridge Hill had previously proposed renovating the former department store building to create smaller spaces for lease, saying that the existing spaces were too large to accommodate a typical restaurant or retail shop format and the absence of natural light in the interior made the space generally unsuitable for office use.
Attorney Steven Accinelli of the Yonkers-based law firm Veneruso, Curto, Schwartz & Curto told the Yonkers Planning Board that Ridge Hill is seeking approvals for facade improvements to the building, installation of a pedestrian crossing area on Market Street and enclosure of the second floor accessory space.
Donna Maiello of the engineering firm DTS Provident said, “From a site plan perspective in terms of the building you are not going to see much different at least in terms of the footprint. There will be a canopy on the bottom at the front over the new entrance and … over some walkways that are existing.”
Maxwell Pau, a partner at Beyer Blinder Bell Architects told the Planning Board that they are proposing to replace the existing glass-faceted wall facing Market Street. He said Wayfair will use the two entrances used by Lord & Taylor; one on Market Street and the other on Cole Street.
“What we’re proposing in the new facade is a very simple facade with six bays of glass and metal storefront on two levels, all in one plane,” Pau said. “There are locations for signage and identity for the Wayfair store.” He said that parts of the building would be repainted to add Wayfair’s identify.
Planning Board Chair Pauline Galvin asked that the applicant provide renderings showing what the Wayfair signage would look like based on the plans that have no been submitted. She asked that they be available when when review of the project continues at the board’s next meeting.
