Crosstown Plaza (Schenectady, NY)

Crosstown Plaza is a large strip mall in Schenectady, NY (at the Rotterdam-Schenectady line[1]) along Watt Street and NY State Route 7 near the I-890 entrance. As of January, 1991, the strip mall consisted of 183,500 square feet.[1] By August, 1995, it was 193,500 square feet.[2]

Tenants

Over the years, tenants have included:

Tenant Name Opening Date
Price Chopper 1970s[3][4] (closed this location March, 2002[5])
Caldor 1979 (closed January, 1999) (85,000 sq. ft.)[6]
Red Cross Blood Donor Center 1985[7]
Spa Lady before July 25, 1986[8][9]
Champion Factory Outlet before May 10, 1990[10] (closed by December 31, 2004[10])
American Cancer Society before May, 1993[11]
Nutri/System Inc. before May, 1993 (closed at that point, reopened August 9, 1993)[12]
BuyerSmart unknown, closed late 1993/early 1994[13]
Old Country Buffet (free-standing building) between 1994 and 1995April 29, 1999[2][14] (closed November 17, 2008)[15]
P.T. Barnum's Magical Emporium before December, 1995[16]
Sears Hardware approximately 1996[17] closing announcement in May, 2006[18]
Fabric Bonanza before March, 1997[19]
Fay's Drugs unknown [20] (store name changed to Eckerd as of April 21, 1997)[21]
WOW Family Amusement Center before April 29, 1999[22]
Ames July 20, 2000[23] (closed October 19, 2002[24])
Tuesday Morning September, 2000[25]
King Cork Wine & Liquors before February, 2002[26]
Yankee One Dollar before September, 2002[3]
PriceRite October 16, 2002[27] (25,000 sq. ft.)[28]
Household Finance after October 23, 2004[29]
Ocean State Job Lot before March 10, 2007[30] (expansion plans[31])

Considered as a DMV location

In mid-1990, Schenectady County considered moving a DMV office in either Crosstown Plaza, Mohawk Mall, or Rotterdam Square Mall.[32] However, the county legislature ultimately decided against the move. If moved, annual rent at Crosstown Plaza would have cost $29,640.[33]

Finding a new grocer

When Price Chopper left a space it held in the plaza for decades (moving to newly built Mohawk Commons) in March 2002, the plaza was without a grocery store. The owners obviously needed to fill the space, but looked specifically for a grocery store over other store formats. The population in that area was without a nearby grocery store after the Price Chopper vacancy. A grocery store also brings in the type of frequent traffic needed to support other stores in the plaza. After writing to numerous companies, even asking companies that typically use smaller space to consider a larger format, PriceRite happened to learn about this space. The former Price Chopper space became PriceRite's first location in the New York Capital Region. PriceRite later moved into the former Ames located in the same plaza in 2007. Ocean State Job Lot later occupied the vacant PriceRite.[3]

Former Sears Hardware

Sear's Hardware vacated the plaza in 2006, leaving it empty since. This space was frequently used for large liquidation sales for a few years. It was announced in November 2009 that Grossman's Bargain Outlet, located on Erie Blvd., would be moving its store into the former Sears Hardware building. It was opened in February of 2010.

Ownership

As of July 1990, Crosstown Plaza was owned by Wade Lupe Construction Company, a developer in Schenectady County.[1][33] By April 1994, the construction company's name was Hexam Gardens Construction Company.[14]

Sources

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Denn, James (1991-01-21), "Lupe Company Refinances $1 Million in Old Debt", Times Union, The (Albany): A11, retrieved 2009-04-22
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Denn, James (1995-08-16), "Loophole a Bonanza for Home Quarters", Times Union, The (Albany): C9, retrieved 2009-04-22
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Wood, Robin (2002-09-13), "Plaza owner shops for supermarket", Business Review, The (Albany), retrieved 2009-04-26
  4. ↑ "Childhood Pals Get Set For a Reunion", Times Union, The (Albany), 1995-03-17: C4, retrieved 2009-04-22
  5. ↑ "Choice One Lands $49m in New Debt Financing", Times Union, The (Albany), 2002-08-15: E4, retrieved 2009-04-22
  6. ↑ Cermak, Marv (2000-04-16), "Ames Set to Open Store at Schenectady Plaza", Times Union, The (Albany): B4, retrieved 2009-04-22
  7. ↑ O'Connor, Grace (1986-07-07), "Blood Bank Opens at State Plaza Giving is Easier for State Workers", Times Union, The (Albany): B8, retrieved 2009-04-20
  8. ↑ Cermak, Marv (1986-07-25), "Hearing Slated on Closed Hot Tub", Knickerbocker News, The (Albany): 4A, retrieved 2009-04-22
  9. ↑ "Spa Lady Hot Tub Reopens", Times Union, The (Albany), 1987-04-10: 9B, retrieved 2009-04-22
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Tomer, Susan E. (1990-05-10), "Shops Reluctant to Advertise", Times Union, The (Albany): C1, retrieved 2009-04-22
  11. ↑ "Obituary: Katherine Morrison Fox, 84; Retired Teacher", Times Union, The (Albany), 1993-05-04: B7, retrieved 2009-04-22
  12. ↑ Abbey, Alan D. (1993-08-10), "Nutri/System Inc. Reopens 2 Stores", Times Union, The (Albany): C12, retrieved 2009-04-22
  13. ↑ Swift, Aisling (1994-06-05), "Thousands Later, Who's the Victim? Mall Managers Say BuyerSmart Welshed on the Rent, Lawyer Says Ron Richardson, Who Operated BuyerSmart, Was Merely Trying to Rescue a Store", Times Union, The (Albany): B1, retrieved 2009-04-22
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Cermak, Marv (1994-04-28), "Planning Board OKs Crosstown Eatery", Times Union, The (Albany): B6, retrieved 2009-04-22
  15. ↑ "In Brief", Times Union, The (Albany), 2008-11-20: C1, retrieved 2009-04-22
  16. ↑ Shiro, Peg (1995-12-03), "Let's Go Shopping in Saratoga's Malls!", Times Union, The (Albany): T3, retrieved 2009-04-22
  17. ↑ DeMasi, Michael (2006-05-12), "Sears Hardware store to close in Schenectady", Business Review, The (Albany), retrieved 2009-04-26
  18. ↑ "Sears ready to shut 20 hardware retailers", Times Union, The (Albany), 2006-05-20: B10, retrieved 2009-04-22
  19. ↑ "Obituary: Barbara Ann Manley", Times Union, The (Albany), 1997-03-17: B4, retrieved 2009-04-22
  20. ↑ "Capital Region Almanac", Times Union, The (Albany), 1996-12-26: B3, retrieved 2009-04-22
  21. ↑ Cermak, Marv (1997-04-27), "Van Dyck Performance to Fulfill Childhood Dream", Times Union, The (Albany): E4, retrieved 2009-04-22
  22. ↑ "Kids' Picks - Best of", Times Union, The (Albany), 1999-04-29: P4, retrieved 2009-04-22
  23. ↑ Mattox, Keri P. (2000-07-18), "Ames to Open 3 Stores, One in Schenectady", Times Union, The (Albany): E4, retrieved 2009-04-22
  24. ↑ Boyer, Jeremy (2002-10-19), "As Retailer Shuts, Communities Lose", Times Union, The (Albany): B8, retrieved 2009-04-22
  25. ↑ Furfaro, Danielle T. (2001-04-06), "Tuesday Morning Opens 2 Stores This Morning", Times Union, The (Albany): E5, retrieved 2009-04-22
  26. ↑ "Glenora", Times Union, The (Albany), 2002-02-14: Food 2, retrieved 2009-04-22
  27. ↑ Boyer, Jeremy (2002-10-13), "Selling Food on a Shoestring", Times Union, The (Albany): C1, retrieved 2009-04-22
  28. ↑ "PriceRite plans Queensbury location", Business Review, The (Albany), 2002-09-26, retrieved 2009-04-26
  29. ↑ "Briefly", Times Union, The (Albany), 2004-10-23: B12, retrieved 2009-04-22
  30. ↑ "Crosstown discounter ready for grand opening", Times Union, The (Albany), 2007-03-10: B9, retrieved 2009-04-22
  31. ↑ "In Brief", Times Union, The (Albany), 2009-02-20: C1, retrieved 2009-04-22
  32. ↑ Lopez, Michael (1990-06-14), "Schenectady County Eyes DMV Sites", Times Union, The (Albany): B10, retrieved 2009-04-22
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Cermak, Marv (1990-07-20), "Motor Vehicles to Retain Its Schenectady Site", Times Union, The (Albany): B10, retrieved 2009-04-22