Construction is slated to begin at Bay Plaza in the spring, with a projected opening in 2013. But already the Bronx is buzzing about what the Macy's will bring - plenty of jobs.
The empty lot adjacent to the JC Penney's will be the new home of a three-story, 160,000-square foot Macy's department store. The store will be located between I-95 and the Hutchinson River Parkway.
Bronx officials say the construction project alone will result in 2,000 jobs. More jobs will be coming once Macy's starts hiring.
"Seventeen hundred jobs are going to come in 2013 or possibly earlier," said Lenny Caro, of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce. "It's just a plus. It's something to look forward to for our people here in the Bronx."
The enclosed mall at Bay Plaza will be the first of its kinds for the Bronx. It has been 16 years since the New York-based retailer has built a new store, so this project was heavily researched before being given the green light.
"Our team of people, our real estate people and all the folks, obviously, that massage the numbers, had looked at this for quite some time," said Ed Goldberg, Macy's senior vice president of external affairs. "And the opportunity for this expansion, when all the things came together, when this perfect storm came together, it made the right sense for us to be able to build this store there."
The new Macy's will have all the basics and sale programs that consumers have come to expect, but will also stock the store with the favorite brands that shoppers in the Bronx want to buy.
In addition to the Bronx project, Macy's is also embarking on a $400 million renovation of its flagship store in Herald Square.
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