Photo by Emma Benzie
Michael Kors, Coach and Vera Bradley will be among the retail mix when The Shops at Nanuet opens this autumn, the final step in a revamping of the former Nanuet Mall in Rockland County.
Most of the approximately 50 tenants at the 750,000-square-foot development off Route 59 will be ready for shoppers, diners and other patrons when the outdoor mall opens Oct. 10, said Thomas J. Schneider, executive vice president of development for Simon Property Group Inc., the mall”™s owner.
More than 30 tenants, including restaurants, service companies and fashion retailers, were announced at a recent press conference that included a hard-hat tour of the future home of 24 Hour Fitness.
The state-of-the art, 45,000-square-foot workout center will join Fairway Market, a 12-screen Regal Cinemas complex and current anchors Macy”™s and Sears, which have remained open during the yearlong construction project, as the largest tenants.
Schneider, based in Simon”™s Indianapolis, Ind. office, said work at the revitalized center is proceeding on time and is meeting Simon”™s expectations.
“We”™re a little over five months from opening and we couldn”™t be more excited,” he said. “We feel very strongly that this will be a very successful center.”
The open-air mall, which replaces a traditional indoor mall that dated to the late 1960s, ends a long saga of decline that saw the Nanuet Mall continue to struggle following the late-”™90s opening of the Palisades Center in West Nyack, the Pyramid Management Group”™s shopping and entertainment center that is about four miles from the Simon development.
The “clean, fresh” effort that will be the Shops at Nanuet will not attempt to replicate the Palisades Center, Schneider said. .
“There”™s always competition between and among retail venues,” he said. “We”™re clearly offering something different. I think we”™re offering something different in terms of size, scale, design.”
“Malls never die easy,” he said of the Nanuet Mall. “At some point you”™ve got to decide to start over.”
It just took time for things to fall into place.
“We”™ve been planning this project forever,” Schneider said. “We were ready to go a few years ago when the economy took a dive.”
He said the Shops at Nanuet went through “50 concepts” before the current incarnation gained approval. Design is by Dorsky + Yue International L. L. C. architects in Cleveland, Ohio, with construction by Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., headquartered in Baltimore, Md. .
The cost of the redevelopment was not disclosed.
“We never release the cost of the project,” Schneider said. “It”™s significant,” he added after a pause, eliciting laughs from the audience.
Schneider said the bulk of retailers will be ready for the October opening, with the remainder expected to join the lineup next spring. A mall boulevard, complete with greenery, will welcome shoppers to the pedestrian-friendly center.
“Most of the project is oriented around what we call Fashion Drive,” Schneider said.
Among other retailers leasing space there are Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, lululemon athletica, Brighton Collectibles, Chico”™s, White House/Black Market, Victoria”™s Secret, Jos. A. Bank, Lovesac Alternative Furniture Co. and Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics.
Dining options will include P.F. Chang”™s, Bonefish Grill, Lime Fresh Mexican Grill and Zinburger.
“We”™re very pleased with the leasing effort,” Schneider added, noting that by next spring he expects the Shops at Nanuet to be “virtually full.”
And, Schneider added, the project is about to move into its final phase.
“The tenants will be taking possession this month,” he said, preparing their individual stores for opening.
Sharing the enthusiasm for the Shops at Nanuet was Aaron Fleishaker, senior vice president of real estate and construction at Fairway Market, who said the iconic New York City grocery company”™s first venture into Rockland County, and 14th store overall, will offer residents something special.
“I think we”™re going to give the people of Rockland County a unique food experience,” he said.
He added the Fairway store will also boost the local economy, with hundreds of skilled workers needed to man the 66,097-square-foot destination that will feature specialty foods and a sit-down café.
“Fairway is a good job store,” he said. “Our average store hires between 350 and 400 employees.”
Alexander J. Gromack, supervisor for the town of Clarkstown, said The Shops at Nanuet project is a boost for the surrounding community.
“To say that this is an important project is an understatement,” Gromack said. “We”™ve really been a part of this every step of the way.”
And, he added, having the entire town board on hand for the announcement reflected its importance. “We want the town of Clarkstown to show we are indeed business friendly. It”™s not just a slogan.”
Gromack said the project has already “revitalized the spirit of the people of Clarkstown.”
A major mall developer in this region, Simon Property Group also owns Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Orange County, The Galleria at White Plains and The Westchester in White Plains.
