New York City gets R3.4bn new Shopping Mall

Sam Shalem, the CEO of Prestige Properties, said that 71 percent of Mall at Bay Plaza is open, and the rest should be occupied by summer 2015.

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New York — Community leaders gathered in August to welcome the public to the new Mall at Bay Plaza in the Bronx — the first enclosed, suburban-style mall to open in the city in 40 years.

The 780,000-square-foot mall in Baychester has been in the works for two years, costing R3.4 billion (US $300 million).

Despite the large price tag, officials are hoping the project will bring something more valuable: 1,800 jobs and overall economic growth in the Bronx.

“Most importantly, I am happy that Bronxites will fill so many of the jobs created by this project,” Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. said. “We are putting our people back to work … as we rebuild and rebrand the ‘New Bronx.”

Community leaders including Diaz and the Governor’s Unemployment Strikeforce will help match candidates to positions at the new mall.

More than 100 stores will accompany the pre-existing JC Penney, including a new Macy’s, H&M, Michael Kors, Ulta, Kay Jewelers and Gap.

The mall features three levels with free WiFi for shoppers, a 1,800-car parking garage, restaurants, a gym and a movie theater. Bus stops and other public transportation are located near the mall.

Sam Shalem, the CEO of Prestige Properties, said that 71 percent of the mall is open, and the rest should be occupied by summer 2015.

The mall is adjacent to the Bay Plaza Shopping Center, which encompasses an additional 1.2 million square feet of retail space and has been owned and operated by Prestige Properties since 1988. The entire development will now be folded into the Mall at Bay Plaza, expanding the space to over 2 million square feet.

Meanwhile shoppers have been flocking to the Mall at Bay Plaza, forsaking the businesses that operate in the outdoor shopping center at the plaza’s eastern tip.