New Jersey-based developer Heidenberg Properties Group has been granted final site plan approval by the town of Carmel for the renovation and expansion of the Lake Plaza Shopping Center.
Located off Route 6 at the intersection of Baldwin Lane in Mahopac, the new development will include the construction of a 54,000-square-foot Stop & Shop. To make way for the grocery store, the company will demolish a 24,000-square-foot Key Food supermarket and 7,800-square-foot CVS Pharmacy.
The new building will expand Lake Plaza Shopping Center from 141,000 square feet to nearly 165,000 square feet.
Heidenberg Properties anticipates starting construction in the spring, with new and expanded tenants opening shortly thereafter, either in late spring or summer of 2017.
“This timeline remains a bit fluid because of all the moving pieces going on,” said Jason Lazar, Heidenberg”™s vice president of operations.
Carmel Town Supervisor Kenneth Smith said the redevelopment of the shopping center is “long overdue.”
“This project will hopefully revitalize and rejuvenate a local shopping destination that in recent years has experienced a decline in shopping activity,” he said, adding that several retail stores have closed their doors, leaving a number of vacant storefronts.
In addition to the new supermarket, Heidenberg Properties will renovate the shopping center”™s facade, repave the parking area and upgrade the site”™s lighting. Heidenberg Properties officials said the shopping center will have a more modern look and a better traffic flow with 716 parking spaces. The company anticipates adding “a variety of new inline tenants.”
According to the company”™s website, an existing 77,980-square-foot Kmart will remain in its storefront in the Lake Plaza center. Other tenants will include a nail studio and spa, a wine and spirits retailer, a pizzeria and a Pet Valu store. More than 21,000 square feet of retail space remains available.
Smith said he hopes the improvements will transform the area into a modern, more aesthetically pleasing shopping destination. “This transformation from an old to a new look should attract new retail businesses and more importantly, bring back the consumers,” he said.
Though Lazar declined to disclose the cost of the project, he said both Heidenberg and Stop & Shop are making “significant investments” in the redevelopment.
The Mahopac Stop & Shop will serve as a prototype for the grocery chain’s future stores and feature an expanded footprint with a new layout.
“When they can design it from ground up, they’re getting what they believe will be the very best product,” Lazar said.
Stop & Shop operates 419 stores throughout New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. It is one of 22 brands and 6,500 grocery and specialty stores operated by Ahold Delhaize.
Heidenberg Properties Group is a Closter, N.J.-based real estate developer that owns and manages open-air shopping centers and retail properties in the eastern U.S., including Kohl”™s at Staten Island, Plaza 48 in Queens, Tops Plaza in Greenville and South Port Shopping Center in Shirley.
