What will Galleria mall redevelopment bring to White Plains?

WHITE PLAINS − On a stormy Friday morning, few pedestrians passed by the former Galleria mall on Main Street. Buses and cars drove through the tunnel over Martin Luther King Boulevard that runs through the Galleria. The Lexington-Grove municipal parking garage stayed quiet with most of the parking spaces occupied.

It has been six months since the mall closed.

Not many of those pedestrians realized the building is likely to be replaced by seven residential towers a day after a developer unveiled a multi-billion dollar redevelopment plan.

The plan is to level the 43-year-old, 870,000-square-foot mall and build The District Galleria, including seven residential towers with a fitness center, grocery store and eateries. Forty-six percent of the project’s footprint would be designated as open space with a mile-long promenade, pet playgrounds and pocket parks.

The residential towers will include 3,200 apartments with 384 affordable units.

City officials, business owners, residents and former shoppers applauded the idea of bringing more people downtown and creating a space for community gatherings.

Redevelop Galleria mall: 7 residential towers, parks and pet playgrounds

White Plains Mayor Thomas Roach said the redevelopment would support local businesses, enhance walkability and generate tax revenue for the city.

"This is such an important project to our city," Roach said. "My focus will be on making sure this project produces benefits for everyone in our community.”

It's long been said that the mall, a giant block of a building, restricts downtown movement for pedestrians.

Roach hopes the site can be revitalized not only as a center to the community but also a transit-friendly hub.

“We have a very walkable city in many areas. One of the stretches that is not pedestrian friendly is Main Street as you come up from the train station to Mamaroneck Avenue,” Roach said. “There’s a benefit right there − to take something right now that is a block in the middle of the city and turn it into something that can be a center for our community.”

Najla Kayyem, executive vice president for Pacific Retail Capital Partners, said in a news release that the key to the redevelopment is to appeal to people’s desire for connection and belonging.

“The evolution of an enclosed mall to an open-air mixed-use development with the unified vision of The District Galleria is pivotal in evolving real estate for the next generation,” Kayyem said.

Robert Cobb, of Brooklyn, a “frequent shopper” of the former Galleria mall, who walked by the building to the train station, said the redevelopment would enhance a sense of community and bring in tax revenues.

Hector Santiago, of Yonkers, who used to “hop on” the bus to hang out at the mall after school, said he likes the idea of including green space and affordable housing in the plan.

“It’s hard to see this go. A lot of us Westchester people who grew up here used to come here shopping, but it’s time for a change,” Santiago said.

Bessi Shabanaj, a barber at the Handlebar Men’s Salon on Court Street, said he hopes the project will bring in more customers and that alternative parking space will be provided should the street be blocked for construction.

Roach said the city manages construction carefully and prioritizes protecting local businesses during the process.

“We work very hard to minimize the negative impact that comes from construction and all our projects,” he said.

More affordable units are desirable

Both city officials and residents hope to see more affordable units on the site. The developers proposed to designate 12% units to be affordable.

The city requires multi-family developments with more than 10 units to set aside 8% or 12% of units as affordable.

“I think we can do more there. That’s something we’re working on,” Roach said.

Jody E. Borhani-D'Amico, a founder of the Coalition for Addition Without Subtraction, a White Plains residents group that is advocating for community-based downtown redevelopment, said she feels hopeful that the plan echoed some of the language her group and some residents have spread.

The group had called for 25% of any new apartments built on the property to go to households earning 50% of the Area Median Income for Westchester County. Also, they would like to see a public square that would include a wedding chapel, music avenue and rooftop community garden.

“We’re thrilled to see the city officials are hearing us, seeing us and starting to address these concerns and raise concerns with the developers,” Borhani-D'Amico said.

She is concerned the proposed 12% affordable units is not enough.

“The rest of the units are likely to be luxury units. It’s going to raise the market-rate rent because they’re infusing the market with astronomically pricey apartments,” Borhani-D'Amico said. “The city needs to claw back on the capitalist principles and put some regulations in place.”

What about the parking garage?

While the mall has been vacant since March, two municipal parking garages attached to the building are still in operation. The two connected garages have 2,787 parking spaces in total.

It was built as part of the city’s urban renewal plan. A bill signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Sept. 15 allows the city to sell or lease the property without public auction or sealed bids.

Roach said it’s too early to comment on the future of the garage. He said the city would require the developer to provide additional parking spaces should the garage be torn down.

“We don’t know what’s going to be built there. Depends on if we think the project is good for the city, we can sell it, but we don’t have to sell it,” he said. “The developer has to provide parking for everything on the site. The parking we need for that area that is provided by the garages would have to be provided for the public as well,” he said.

Roach said the planning process could take between one and two years. The developer is requesting rezoning from the city's Common Council. He promised the public will have an opportunity to participate in the planning process.

"Right now we don't even have an application, but this is such an important site that we want to get it out to our public as early as possible," the mayor said. "The city has control over that; that gives us a strong negotiating position as we move forward."

Helu Wang covers development and real estate for The Journal News and USA Today Network. Reach her at hwang@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: White Plains development: How will Galleria mall changes reshape city?