Wakefield News: Yankees, Victoria’s Secret Opening in Bay Plaza

Wakefield News: Yankees, Victoria’s Secret Opening in Bay Plaza: Yankees, Victoria’s Secret Opening in Bay Plaza By Michael Horowitz BRONX, NEW YORK, AUGUST 15-  The Bay Plaza shopping center’s ne...

Yankees, Victoria’s Secret Opening in Bay Plaza

Yankees, Victoria’s Secret Opening in Bay Plaza

By Michael Horowitz

BRONX, NEW YORK, AUGUST 15- The Bay Plaza shopping center’s new wing, which has been in the planning stage for years, opened on Thursday morning.

Portions of the new mall, including its spanking new Macy’s, were still under construction by the middle of this week. Portions of the new mall will not be completed until next year.

The new mall, when it is fully completed, will be anchored by Macy’s at one end and a pre-existing JC Penney’s department store at the other end. 

Stores in the new mall will ultimately include Victoria Secret Express, Swarovski Crystals, H&M, Michael Kors, and the Yankee Clubhouse.

Other chains that have signed leases to be at Bay Plaza include Zales Jewelers, Kay Jewelers, Matthew’s Jewelers, Cohen Optical, Bath & Body, Charlotte Rousse, Champs, Footlocker, Lid’s Hats, Joe’s Crab Shack, the Olive Garden, Red Robin, American Eagle Aeropostale, and Sprint.

The new Macy’s, which will be an anchor store for Bay Plaza’s new, enclosed mall, will comprise 160,000 square feet on its own.

The 780,000-square foot extension of Bay Plaza will mean that the shopping center, which is on the outskirts of Co-op City, will comprise close to two million square feet.

The price tag for the extension of the Bay Plaza mall is expected to approach $300 million. The new mall is expected to create 1,700 permanent jobs and to have parking for up 2,300 cars.

The extension of Bay Plaza’s new wing will be connected to the existing JC Penney store at Bay Plaza.

In recent months, those living in Co-op City and those driving by the community have seen the new wing of the shopping center rising on its southern end of the Bay Plaza shopping center. 

The shopping center’s developers and elected officials have stressed that the impending of Bay Plaza’s new wing is an exciting development for the Bronx and Westchester.

Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., among others, have touted the development of Bay Plaza’s new wing as a sign of progress in the Bronx and in the city as a whole. 

Bay Plaza, which first opened in the mid-1980s and spans 1.3 million square feet, is already the largest mall in the Bronx.

When the new mall is completed, it will be attached to the current shopping center. The entire mall will be enclosed, making it the first mall of this kind in the Bronx.

“We are talking to all the major chains about coming to Bay Plaza,” Sam Shalem, CEO of Prestige Properties (the shopping center’s developer), has stressed. “This is just the kind of suburban mall this area needs.”

Shalem has said that he is confident that the enlarged mall will have major appeal to the more than four million people who live in close proximity to Co-op City.

Shalem has stated that he expects the new shopping center to attract those living in Westchester and southern Connecticut, as well as those living in neighborhoods through the Bronx.

Wakefield News: Bay Plaza

Wakefield News: Bay Plaza: Bay Plaza’s Open for Business BRONX, NEW YORK, AUGUST 14- Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. was the very first customer at th...

Bay Plaza

Bay Plaza’s Open for Business

BRONX, NEW YORK, AUGUST 14- Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. was the very first customer at the new Macy's near Co-op City, which officially opened as part of the new Mall at Bay Plaza—a facility which has 780,000 square feet of retail space and is the first enclosed fashion mall in the New York City area in almost 40 years. 

To fill 1,800 new job spots, Governor Andrew Cuomo's Unemployment Strikeforce partnered with Borough President 

Diaz and the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation to help match candidates with the positions.

“To all the Macy’s family, on behalf of 1.4 million Bronxites, I want to say thank you,” Diaz said. “This is truly a partnership between the community, community leaders, people like Marlene Cintron, who is the president of the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation; and, of course, government.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I just want to say this: of all of the brands that are being sold at Macy’s, in all seriousness, the number one brand, the most important brand that is being sold here today is that of the ‘New Bronx.’

“When Macy’s makes a decision to go somewhere, they don’t make that decision lightly. And so to invest in our borough, to give our residents better and more pleasant shopping opportunities, to give employment to our borough…but also to send a message across the nation that they’re coming to The Bronx, and they’re here in The Bronx, it shows that something good is happening right here.

“So for that, we all want to say thank you, God bless you, and let’s continue to move forward.”

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Jobs wanted

Jobs wanted

--Photo by David Greene

Hundreds of Bronxites turned out for the second annual Bronx Jobs Fair held at DeWitt Clinton High School, located at 100 West Mosholu Parkway South. Sponsored by Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj and Senator Jeff Klein, the event was held on July 10. Job-seekers were able to sit down with many of the representatives of fifty-three local companies and businesses represented, including the NYPD, the New York Daily News and the Bronx Zoo. Organizers hope to exceed the 2,000 job-seeker's who attended a similar jobs fair held last October.

Wakefield News: Did Groper Strike Near Truman HS?

Wakefield News: Did Groper Strike Near Truman HS?: Did Groper Strike Near Truman HS? Two Victims Reported in Co-Op City By David Greene BRONX, NEW YORK, JULY 17- Police are hunt...

Did Groper Strike Near Truman HS?

Did Groper Strike Near Truman HS?

Two Victims Reported in Co-Op City

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, JULY 17- Police are hunting a serial groper wanted in 9 recent attacks on girls, teens and young women-- an individual who may have now struck twice in Co-op City.

The still-unidentified suspect had been wanted for nine attacks in the Wakefield, Edenwald, Williamsbridge and Eastchester neighborhoods since February.

The 47th Precinct, which serves those neighborhoods, received 50 additional officers on July 7, due to a recent uptick in violent crime, which may explain the suspect moving to the Co-op City area that is covered by the 45th Precinct.

In the latest incidents reported on Thursday, July 10, a 14 year-old and an 18-year old reported being attacked as they walked over the I-95 overpass along Eastchester Road.

Police were still investigating the latest incidents to determine if it is the same suspect or a copycat.

Outside of Harry S. Truman High School, most students had not heard about the attacker.

One female student recalled, "We were talking to this man yesterday and he was asking for my friend's number," a second girl added, "And we told him were only 15 years-old, but he kept following us and talking to us."

The girls stated that the "buff" brown-skinned man said he had just got back from serving with the U.S. Army.

Waiting for students outside of Truman, a driver with the Consolidated Bus Transport Service suggested, "They should put signs on the busses to alert people of this guy."

On June 24, the NYPD released a wanted flyer with a police composite sketch of the individual wanted for nine separate incidents of forcible touching of females between the ages of 12 and 21.

The first incident was reported on February 13, at 7:50 a.m., when a 14-year-old female was attacked on her way to the subway along Eastchester Road.

On February 15, a second attack was reported by another 14-year-old girl who was violated by the creep as she walked passed the intersection of Burke Avenue and Eastchester Road at 9:30 a.m.

The pervert waited more than a month when he struck again, this time he inappropriately touched a 13 year-old as she walked along Magenta Street at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, March 28.

A fourth incident was reported on Monday, April 28, when he grabbed a 13 year-old from behind as she walked near Baychester Avenue at 8 a.m.

Again waiting more than a month, he struck again on Thursday, May 29, when the suspect jogged up to an 18 year-old victim and forcibly touched her in the area of Burke Avenue.

The suspect struck again the following day when he approached and attacked a 12 year-old victim in the area of East 233 Street.

On Monday, June 9, a 16 year-old reported she was attacked at 6:55 a.m., along Boston Road.

On Wednesday, June 11, at 8:15 a.m. a 21-year-old woman reported a forcible touching attack as she walked along Fish Avenue. Fifteen minutes later a 12 year-old reported a similar incident as she walked along Schieffelin Avenue.

Although traumatized, none of the victims were physically injured.

Police describe the suspect as 20 year-old black male, 5 foot 10, thin build and was last seen wearing a black hooded jacket, blue jeans and black sneakers. Investigators say the suspect also has a scar under his right eye.

A similar crime pattern was reported in the area of the most recent attacks, along the Eastchester Road footbridge leading to Co-Op City between September, 2010 and June, 2011.

In that string of groping incidents three, 19-year-old females were attacked by a black man between 22 and 28 years-old, 5 foot 6 tall and weighing 160 to 180 Pounds. Police could not immediately say if this suspect was ever apprehended.

The attacks have prompted a local citizens group called the New York Hero Imitative to patrol the affected neighborhoods in searching for the suspect and passing out flyers to residents.

One group member, "Spectre" said the group was encouraged by the communities reaction to their presence and added, "We're going to re-visit a few areas where we had some promising leads on this case."

One source at the local community board stated that the local community was informed of the attacks in mid-May, after a fourth attack was reported.

One police official questioned could not explain the delay in alerting the public to the pattern-crime.

The source added that detectives and police are in the process of going back to all nine locations in a search for surveillance video of the suspect.

Anyone with any information on the suspect is urged to call CRIMESTOPPERS at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls remain confidential.