WCC lease at former Sears store in Yonkers finalized

Marx Realty and SUNY Westchester Community College have finalized the lease for SUNY WCC to move into 40,000 square feet of space on the third floor of the former Sears store at Cross County Center in Yonkers. Financial details were not disclosed in today’s announcement.

SUNY WCC”™s lease runs for 10 years. The school plans to offer additional degree and certification programs through its expanded presence at the shopping center.

Retailing giant Target is taking the lower floors of the building under a 40-year lease for 130,000 square feet of space. The Cross County location will be Target”™s first store in Yonkers and plans call for it to open later this year.

“We are thrilled to see existing tenants such as SUNY Westchester Community College committing to a long-term presence that will ultimately bring added foot traffic to the Center while providing much-needed services to the community,” said Craig Deitelzweig, president and CEO of Marx Realty. Marx and Benenson Capital Management jointly own the 1.5-million-square-feet center.

The design of Cross County as an outdoor shopping location rather than an indoor mall has been a plus during the Covid pandemic, according to Deitelzweig.

“Foot traffic at the center remained robust even as the nation in general, and the retail sector more specifically, were recovering from the pandemic,” said Deitelzweig. “The open-air experience combined with the diverse tenant mix and our vision for the future of this asset have caught the eye of major retailers, eateries and experiential users and we are in negotiations with several well-known brands who are keen on planting a flag at Cross County.”

Cross County Center features more than 80 specialty stores and restaurants and reports attracting more than 14 million visitors annually.