Monstrous NY shopping mall that aimed to spark troubled downtown devolves into bane of Dem-run city
A cautionary tale about a New Rochelle mall that spent nearly three decades proving that proximity to a city isn't the same as belonging to one.
1 / 5In the article · Yank's paraphrase
It's like Oz, and Oz isn't real. And who's the wizard?
It's like Oz, and Oz isn't real. And who's the wizard?
A community leader questions who is accountable for a development that promises transformation but delivers nothing real.
In context
Community leaders said several factors played a role in the mall’s decline, including an enclosed design, changes in entertainment and shopping trends, and a shift in New Rochelle’s downtown redevelopment strategy, which focused on luring New York City commuters who don’t frequent local haunts. “It’s like Oz, and Oz isn’t real,” Jim Killoran, a longtime New Rochelle activist and executive director of the Fuller Center for Housing of Greater New York City, said of the mall. “And who’s the wizard? “It’s a mall next to a main street, and they call themselves separate,” Killoran said. “There’s New Roc City and then there’s the rest of us. You don’t have people saying, ‘Hey, let’s go to New Roc t…
It's like Oz, and Oz isn't real. And who's the wizard?
Receipt
It's a mall next to a main street, and they call themselves separate. You don't have people saying, 'Hey, let's go to New Roc tonight.' It's antithetical to a successful project.
Killoran argues the mall's deliberate separation from the surrounding street life makes community buy-in and organic popularity impossible.
In context
“It’s like Oz, and Oz isn’t real,” Jim Killoran, a longtime New Rochelle activist and executive director of the Fuller Center for Housing of Greater New York City, said of the mall. “And who’s the wizard? “It’s a mall next to a main street, and they call themselves separate,” Killoran said. “There’s New Roc City and then there’s the rest of us. You don’t have people saying, ‘Hey, let’s go to New Roc tonight.’ It’s antithetical to a successful project. It’s like a whole different world to downtown.” Security and safety has been another concern, with several disturbing incidents in recent years despite a New Rochelle police outpost inside the shopping center.
It's a mall next to a main street, and they call themselves separate. Killoran said. “There’s New Roc City and then there’s the rest of us. You don't have people saying, 'Hey, let's go to New Roc tonight.' It's antithetical to a successful project.
Receipt
I grew up coming here and it used to be so lively. Now, it's all dim and dead.
A longtime local visitor frames the mall's decline as a personal loss, anchoring the broader narrative in lived experience.
In context
Yet, over the years the mall’s design and location spelled doom. “New Roc City was supposed to be the ultimate hangout spot for friends, couples and single people,” said DC Andino, a county resident who once took classes at a Monroe College campus nearby. “But now it’s dead. I grew up coming here and it used to be so lively. Now, it’s all dim and dead.” Community leaders said several factors played a role in the mall’s decline, including an enclosed design, changes in entertainment and shopping trends, and a shift in New Rochelle’s downtown redevelopment strategy, which focused on luring New York City commuters who don’t frequent local haunts.
Receipt
The smell of urine, elevators not working, rats and plenty of homeless in areas of the garage. The fire system does not work after the city just installed a new one, most exit signs are not lit.
An activist catalogs safety and infrastructure failures severe enough to implicate city management, not just the mall's ownership.
In context
Today, groups of youngsters occasionally roam the mall, intimidating patrons and families, while signs of disrepair and neglect are visible throughout the facility. “The smell of urine, elevators not working, rats and plenty of homeless in areas of the garage,” said local activist and past candidate for elected office James O’Toole. “The fire system does not work after the city just installed a new one, most of the doors to the stairwells don’t work and most exit signs are not lit. “There are plenty of abandoned cars on all levels of the garage,” he said. “The garage entrance near the Hotel has been closed off for over three months. The bottom level is littered with construction debris.”
The smell of urine, elevators not working, rats and plenty of homeless in areas of the garage. said local activist and past candidate for elected office James O’Toole. The fire system does not work after the city just installed a new one, most of the doors to the stairwells don’t work and most exit signs are not lit.
Receipt
The $200 million New Roc City mall opened in 1999 with IMAX, a Space Shot thrill ride, and a Monroe College campus — and now hosts an Audi dealership, roving youth gangs, abandoned cars, and a broken fire system.
The arc from ambitious 1999 opening to current dysfunction condenses the mall's entire fall in a single before-and-after contrast.
In context
“It just sucks,” one New Roc retailer told The Post. “It was a really bad idea and it didn’t work. They were trying to make it cool, but it just sucks. It’s a pain in the ass. “New Roc City just sucks,” he reiterated. “It’s obviously been a big flop.” The shopping center at 33 LeCount Place cost nearly $200 million to build, once boasting the county’s first IMax movie theater, fitness and education businesses, and dining and recreation, including a thrill-ride called the Space Shot that drew families and youngsters. Yet, over the years the mall’s design and location spelled doom.
Receipt
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