From the Wall Street Journal:Flushing already has hundreds of local stores and its position as a transportation hub—the No. 7 subway, city buses and the Long Island Railroad all meet in the heart of downtown Flushing—means that more than 100,000 people pass through daily, including residents of downtown Flushing and commuters who work and shop in the area.
Even though the new mall will increase congestion in an area already packed with pedestrians and cars, there are residents are looking forward to having more national retailers locally. The only regional mall in Queens currently is Queens Center in Elmhurst.
Actually, there are 3 malls in close proximity to each other on Queens Blvd, plus Atlas Park, the Metro Mall, Bay Terrace, etc.
"People are happy to have them because we [often] have to go to Long Island, Manhattan or New Jersey to buy something," said Fred Fu, president of Flushing Development Center, a nonprofit that hosts cultural events in Flushing.
See previous comment.
Though it is too early to tell whether the area's many small, mostly Asian, businesses will be affected, Mr. Fu suggests that the new mall will benefit existing business owners.
"The new stores will generate more customers for the small businesses. People from Long Island City, Jamaica, and Bayside will come here to buy," he says.
Yes, I can see that happening. Heh.
"There is no shortage of patrons to Flushing, but it is dramatically underserved from a retail and residential perspective," said Michael Dana, president of Onex Real Estate Partners and developer of the project. Forest Hills-based Muss Development LLC is co-owner of the project.
Underserved from a retail and residential perspective? That's a good one. Go ahead and delude yourself into thinking that.
16 comments:
More malls ?
How the F_ are people going to buy stuff when there is more retail & apt units then jobs ?
That shit looks like the Disneyland hotel
What is Metro Mall? I've lived in Queens for 50 years (Fresh Meadows/Flushing) and I have never heard of it. Also, I don't know anyone on this end of Queens who has ever been to Atlas Park. Although I know where Atlas Park is located, it is not an easy commute from this end of Queens, by car, or by public transportation. While Queens Center Mall is only a bus ride away, it is a long bus ride. I shop in Waldbaums in Bay Terrace every week, but have never thought of going there to shop for anything else.
Everyone I know would rather drive to Roosevelt Field then shop in any of the Queens malls. However, if I could shop on my way home from subway commute from work, in Flushing, I would much rather do that.
What is Metro Mall? I've lived in Queens for 50 years (Fresh Meadows/Flushing) and I have never heard of it. Also, I don't know anyone on this end of Queens who has ever been to Atlas Park.
You don't know what Metro Mall is because it's not worth the brain space to know what it is. It's on Metropolitan Ave hidden away downstairs from Toys R Us and whatever is in K-Mart's space (if K-Mart isn't still there, not sure). It has a BJ's, a Radio Shack, Burger King, Weight Watchers, and a few other sad stores. Not worth the trip at all.
Atlas Mall a mall? Stores there are dying faster than fruit flies in a freezer.
Bay Terrace a mall? No. It's a strip mall with half of the stores owned by the same company.
The malls in Flushing? Sure, if you need to buy knockoff illegal crap, or chinese food.
But, Flushing needs a new "mall" like we need 4 more years of Obama.
He got it right on. Let's see how many people we can squeeze into this space. Terrible idea! not to mention that these local retailers are charging you to park your car. I literally turned around and left the other day when I went to go to BJ's. Im not paying $5 to save $3 on my groceries. Absurd. Bayside residents have a shorter and EASIER commute to Long Island, then they do to flushing.
Those national retailers will be out of there in the next 3 years!!
Mark my words.
Isn't there an Old Navy on Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue and now they're building one only 4-5 blocks away at Collegepoint and Roosevelt (skyview)....
As a Bayside resident, I will tell you that I NEVER go to Flushing to shop. I avoid having to translate signs into English, the parking, the garbage, the congestion. I live right near Bay Terrace and don't go there often either. I used to go there more, but the card store left after many years and I try to avoid Waldbaum's like the plague. I go east, to Roosevelt Field or Manhasset. Queens shopping sucks and this Flushing mall is not going to change my shopping habits one iota.
"Metro Mall" is the latest name for "Robert Hall Village" -- the city's first "fully Tweeded" retail-only project -- and Crapper can correct me if I am wrong. More about Robert Hall here
I live across the street from that building and even though only BJs and Best Buy are open, my block is an endless parade of people hauling bulk items towards Main Street.
On the other hand, I love being able to buy Dvds without going to Amazon.com and now I can buy things down the street that aren't replicas for the first time in several years.
I wish Barnes and Noble would open here. We could use some ENGLISH reading material here for once!
Jamaica
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LOL, yes people will get on a J train, go to Essex street in Manhattan, transfer to an F train, ride all through manhattan, THEN take a 7 train at Roosevelt to get to the mall at the end of the 7 line.
Or take a bus that takes 1.5 hours to snake its way through queens.
Right, im sure the people cant wait!
Hey, Patrick Sweeney. My mom would get all my school duds at Robert Hall (under the el on 31st Street in Astoria). Racks and racks of clothes. Those were the days!
Just what we need, more malls in Queens.
And the malls in Queens are so great, they charge you to park there so you can give them your business.
I'll keep driving to the burbs, thank you.
Just what we need, more malls in Queens.
And the malls in Queens are so great, they charge you to park there so you can give them your business.
I'll keep driving to the burbs, thank you.
Forgot all about that! That's the second biggest reason I refuse to go to the Queens Mall (or any other of the Queens Blvd malls), and my main reason for avoiding Atlas Park.
the city and the MTA should've converted the abandoned Caldor's as a bus depot...
Small business owners can thrive in the shadows of Mall, big box stores and even Walmarts. In fact for every small store owner who folds because of a new big box store, 2 other new small business will move in in proximity to them. Why? When Home Depo for example moved to Queens, hardware stores across Queens closedfor good reason - they didn't know how or want to compete with HD on their own merits.
Now look around your neighborhood and small hardware stores are commonplace why? Because they offer variety, price, service and close to your home. Instead of buying a huge box of nails at HD for 10$ at your local hardware store you can buy a small packet for 1.99. So there is the first example - how about driving to HD to buy your nails and wait on line to pay for them? 2 hours lost maybe? Did you ever ask anyone for advice about a product at HD - they looked at you blankly, correct?
Anonymous said...
"I wish Barnes and Noble would open here. We could use some ENGLISH reading material here for once!"
You obviously haven't lived in Flushing long enough to know that there used to be a Barnes & Noble on Main St. that closed down years ago. You can take your suburban cracker totting ideas elsewhere. If you do not already know where to go to get your reading material that's your own fault for being lazy. Big box stores do not integrate well with pedestrian communities with all the congestion and traffic they create unless they are forced to.
Anonymous said...
"the city and the MTA should've converted the abandoned Caldor's as a bus depot..."
Agreed, the city would rather use eminent domain to give developers sweetheart land deals to build monstrosities that go against the community's wishes. The longest part of my commute is to get in and out of Flushing Main St.
- Flushing Local
"You obviously haven't lived in Flushing long enough to know that there used to be a Barnes & Noble on Main St. that closed down years ago.
And you obviously are enough of a troll to omit the fact that TDC was supposed to include a bookstore in their megaproject but changed their mind, and now Flushing is gonna be screwed yet again. Calling Barnes and Noble a "big box store" is kind of a stretch, too... You can't buy groceries or hardware there.
You can take your suburban cracker totting ideas elsewhere. If you do not already know where to go to get your reading material that's your own fault for being lazy.
WTF are you talking about? Asking for more bookstores instead of more junk stores is a cracker idea? What a racist troll you are.
Big box stores do not integrate well with pedestrian communities with all the congestion and traffic they create unless they are forced to.
Agreed. Which is why this article is ludicrous and so is the idea of yet another mall in Flushing.
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