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Big-box bonanza is destined for Staten Island

5/9/2017
Residents in some locales want fewer big-box stores, residents in others want more. The latter was the case in the New York City borough of Staten Island, and Kimco is effecting a wholesale makeover of a 10-year-old center there to give the people what they want.














Joshua Weinkranz

The former Hylan Plaza on highly trafficked Hylan Boulevard is now being transformed into The Boulevard, a 460,000-sq.-ft project with a “Main Street” format surrounded by two levels of storefront retail space. National brand big boxes will inhabit the top floors, and restaurants and shops will do business at street level.



“We have a long history in Staten Island. Over the years, we’ve heard from residents about what they want and we have a good idea of what will be successful there,” said Joshua Weinkranz, president of Kimco’s Northeast Region. “They’ve had to travel to New Jersey and Brooklyn to shop big box stores, and they really want them in their home market.”



Kimco razed 300,000-sq.-ft. of retail space and bid farewell to some long-standing tenants to set the stage for its $180 million renovation. The top levels are cantilevered out over the ground levels in the rear to provide more square footage for the big boxes, as well as covered parking for shoppers.



Among the first to sign leases at The Boulevard were ShopRite (68,000 sq. ft.), Alamo Drafthouse (41,000 sq. ft.),), Modell’s ( a 16,000- sq.-ft. relocation) Party City (13,000 sq. ft.), and PetSmart (23,500 sq. ft.). Construction is scheduled to start by fall, looking toward a summer 2019 grand opening.



The Pathmark that served as the grocery anchor at Hylan Plaza will be replaced by a ShopRite at The Boulevard. “ShopRite is coming over with a prototype store and they’re very excited about it,” Weinkranz said. “We have five or six restaurants in various stages of discussions. Half are existing operators doing different concepts, and the others are coming in from other markets.”



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