Mall at Caldor site delayed

From the Queens Chronicle:

Flushing shoppers will have to wait a little longer for the opening of the New World Mall at the old Caldor site in Flushing. Plans now call for it to open in October, a month later than expected.

The 165,000-square-foot building, at the corner of Roosevelt Avenue and Main Street, has been closed since Caldor went out of business 11 years ago. It previously was the location of Alexander’s and prior to that, S. Klein department store.

One of the developers is Sam Chang of McSam Hotels, LLC. on Long Island. According to a spokeswoman, Helen Suen, the three-level store will be converted into shops for nationally known retailers such as the Gap and Cohen’s Optical on the first level, a supermarket on the second floor and an Asian food court on the third.

The developers are in negotiations with other potential retailers they will not yet name. But Suen said the food court will include several eateries featuring Korean, Chinese and Japanese cuisine. The original plan had called for just one restaurant.

The location includes 350 underground parking spots and there will be valets used when the mall opens. Although Flushing officials are happy the vacant store will be used again, they are concerned about how the new mall will affect traffic in an already congested area.

Gene Kelty, chairman of Community Board 7, noted that corner of Main and Roosevelt is particularly busy and that the Department of Transportation is beginning a six-month traffic redirection pilot program in the area beginning in mid-July.