Central Plaza Associates LLC, owner of the Central Plaza Shopping Plaza at 2550 Central Park Ave. in Yonkers is asking the city for approvals to build a new McDonald’s restaurant at the retail center. There already is a McDonalds operating at Central Plaza and the plan calls for it to be moved to a new building that would be built at the site of a former Modell’s Sporting Goods Store. The Modell’s store has been demolished.
The new McDonald’s would have a drive-thru in addition to about 35 seats for inside dining. The new building would be 3,684 square feet, a reduction from the 13,644 square feet covered by the Modell’s building. The new restaurant would be on about 0.75-acre of the shopping center’s 12.66 acres. The construction cost has been estimated to be about $3.5 million.
According to Attorney William Null of the White Plains-based law firm Cuddy & Feder, on Sept. 13, 2023, the Yonkers Planning Board granted approvals for a Lidl Supermarket to be opened at Central Plaza occupying 29,208 square feet. At that time, Central Plaza Associates said that in the future it would want to demolish the Modell’s building and replace it with a drive-thru restaurant.
“The Central Plaza Shopping Center contain numerous different businesses, including the existing McDonald’s restaurant, a Verizon Wireless store … a Barnes & Noble store, and additional rental and commercial uses,” Null said. “The approved Lidl Supermarket is under construction and will occupy the space most-recently occupied by David’s Bridal, Marshalls Shoe Shop, Avenue, and Epstein’s Kosher Delicatessen.”
Null pointed out that the shopping center currently has 693 parking spaces and four loading spaces. After the new McDonald’s is built there would be one additional parking space. He said that the shopping center is served by three driveways connecting with Central Park Avenue and that construction of the McDonald’s would not affect the driveway situation.
“Landscaping will be added around the perimeter of the restaurant,” Null said. “The addition of trees and shrubs will screen structures, including the restaurant, the “Order Here” canopies and the drive-thru clearance bar.”
Null said that exterior wall signs would comply with city codes. He said that the previous Modell’s building was no longer aesthetically pleasing before demolition and that the new building will be a significant visual improvement.
It’s estimated that the construction project would provide 17 jobs and that about 60 people would be working at the new McDonald’s.
The Yonkers Zoning Board of Appeals on March 17 granted variances for the project including for drive-thru canopy height, for a fence to screen the trash enclosure, and to allow parking within a front yard.
The city’s Planning Board was expected to take up the application at its April 9 meeting.
