Cross County Shopping Center is in a unique situation; the economy and on-site construction have not deterred shoppers.
“We have been doing well despite the challenging economy, mostly because we have a very dense population here,” said Liz Pollack, marketing manager of California-based Macerich Co., which was hired by property owner Brooks Shopping Centers L.L.C. to manage the ongoing redevelopment project in Yonkers. “We serve about 2.5 million people within a 15-minute drive time. We also have tremendous visibility from I-87 and the (Cross County) parkway, so we also get the commuter traffic from the 200,000-plus cars that drive by every day.”
To attract more consumers, Cross County joined the city”™s “Shop Yonkers” campaign.
In addition, work continues on the shopping center”™s redevelopment, which is expected to cost in excess of $250 million, not including retailer expenditures.
Macy”™s is undergoing a $24.7 million expansion that will add 100,000 square feet to the store.
Shoppers will have access to the renovated store by way of three levels in the Cross County”™s new covered parking facility, which will add about 700 spaces.
A rough estimate of $10 million in traffic improvements have begun off site; patrons can expect a new exit ramp directly from the parkway, new traffic signals, widened lanes and a separate bus lane.
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This week, the planting of 65 varieties of shrubbery and flowers will begin.
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“The new hardscape and landscape improvements are going to transform the look and feel of the center so that our shoppers and guests will enjoy shopping in a relaxed contemporary atmosphere,” said James Stifel, chief investment officer for Benenson Capital Partners L.L.C. and executive vice president for Brooks Shopping Centers. “New outdoor seating, water features, children”™s play areas and enhanced lighting and promenades will complement the new architectural design of the retail buildings and dramatic store fronts by new retailers such as H&M, bebe, A|X Armani Exchange and Guess.”
The 22,385-square-foot Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) opened this August; New York & Company opened a conceptual location at the beginning of September; a 4,998-square-foot Guess opened this spring and a 26,600-square-foot Forever 21 store will open at the end of the month.
Installation of a holiday décor program and Christmas tree light show channeling “Rockefeller Center in Westchester,” Pollack said, will begin in November.
“What we”™re really trying to accomplish with the redevelopment is to recapture some of the more central Westchester customers and we”™re hoping the holiday décor can also serve as a method to bring them in,” Pollack said.
The time-tested turquoise Cross County signs will come down by the end of 2010 as new pylon and directional monument signs replace them.
While the majority of the redevelopment is scheduled for completion around the same time, Pollack said there could be a plan for four additional buildings.
“They are all market driven and if we can lease the space, we can build,” she said. “It might be a 2011 to 2012 plan.”
