Simon Properties, owner of the Nanuet Mall, plans on demolishing the mall in 2011 to make way for a new mall, Clarkstown town Supervisor Alex Gromack said Monday.
Gromack said mall representatives have picked up the necessary permit applications for the demolition of the structures owned by Simon, which include the main concourse of the mall, the former Boscov’s department store building and the two-story parking structure adjacent to the mall off Route 59.
Simon, however, does not own the buildings that house Macy’s and Sears. Gromack said those buildings would remain.
Gromack said applications could be coming to the town government within the next three to four weeks seeking approval for demolition. Gromack said the work is now targeted for September.
“I think it shows that they have a great deal of confidence in the Town of Clarkstown that we can support two malls,” said Gromack, referring to the Nanuet Mall and the nearby Palisades Center mall in West Nyack.
Gromack said the rebuilt Nanuet Mall would be a “traditional” mall. Construction on the next version of the mall would be in 2012, he said.
"They have decided to demolish what they have now and start with something completely new," said Gromack.
The 913,000 square foot mall opened in 1969 and features a variety of stores on two levels and a Macy's department store on the east side of the mall, with a Sears store on the west side.
Officials at Simon Properties have not commented on the future plans for the mall, which was expanded in 1994 and fell onto hard times with the opening of the larger Palisades Center in 1998.
Simon Property Group, Inc. is an S&P 500 company that owns or has an interest in 373 retail real estate properties comprising 256 million square feet of gross leasable area in North America, Europe and Asia. Simon Property Group and employs more than 5,000 people worldwide.
