(Photo by Will Dendis)
After losing two anchor stores, a bankruptcy and tax deal that reduced its value by 90 percent, the Hudson Valley Mall need some new ideas to turn things around. Here are a few possibilities.
- A large-scale art installation on the theme of “1960s Ulster County”, complete with big cars, long-haired hippies and crew-cut IBMers, all bathed in the warm glow of possibility.
- Combination vape store/dollar store/shooting range.
- Climate-controlled senior housing. The stores will be transformed into condos and the promenade will be terraformed with Florida-style greenery. With malls already a big draw for fitness-conscious senior walking groups, and the snowbird lifestyle not possible/desirable for all, it shouldn’t be a hard sell. (Not as weird as you might think.)
- A Small Hadron Collider for Ulster County Community College physics students.
- The setting for a scene in the Blues Brothers reboot Blues Sisters 2020, starring Leslie Jones and Melissa McCarthy, in which the two endearingly oblivious, soul-music-loving chanteuses attempt to evade police pursuit by driving through the mall, upending dozens of cell-phone kiosks (and possibly some vaping displays).
- Something to do with solar panels or 3-D printing, partnering with a local university and funded in part by state money for STEM… you know the drill.
- Tribekow (TRIangle BEhind Kings Mall, Olive Garden and Walmart) A painstaking recreation of a mixed-use urban neighborhood, completely self-sufficient with cafes, brew pubs, offices and farmers market. With an area of 765,704 square feet, the mall could accommodate nearly 3,000 young would-be urbanites, taking into account the current trend for smaller apartments. This may involve some public funding, but that should be no problem, as many taxpayers have children who moved to cities in their 20s, and they would love to be able to see them more often. Once completed, Tribekow promises to provide a powerful shot in the arm for the local economy, presumably through some sort of app created by a resident.
- More county offices!
Its a teardown.
Amazon warehouse/UPS depot. Recycle the parking lot and create an organic farm run by Whole Foods (Amazon)
Another airport ! You just can’t have too many. Look at the insane Town of Wawarsing airport or that goofy international airport in Sullivan county that would bring European s to the borscht. Belt….
Or a subway terminal serving NYC……JUST ADD THE TRACK.
How about an IKEA? Or better yet a super Wegmans.
Indoor water park and family activity center with eateries
An adventure park someplace for kids and teens to go and have some good clean fun
How about a rail trail…..asking for a friend.
How about Costco wholesale they are terrific.Will bring about four hundred jobs and pay great.I know I have worked for them for 25 years.Contact them you won’t be sorry.
I can imagine a senior complex. Ideal with the convenient shopping and medical facilities nearby. If it’s well designed (a must) it won’t be outdated in a couple of years. As mentioned, an interior esplanade with lots of greenery would be very useful and inviting. While we’re at it, tearing up unnecessary parking areas and converting to green spaces would be perfect.
Second choice, as mentioned by others, a very desirable retailer. One everyone would drive to from around the area. IKEA, Costco, Wegmans – Yah! Likely, these guys won’t go out of business either! And, jobs!