Crosstown Plaza

Crosstown Plaza is a large strip mall in Schenectady, New York, positioned near the Rotterdam–Schenectady municipal line. The shopping center extends along Watt Street and New York State Route 7, close to the entrance to Interstate 890. Its location places it within the Capital Region’s suburban retail network and gives it access to traffic from both Schenectady and neighboring Rotterdam. The plaza has historically operated as a multi-tenant convenience-oriented retail property rather than as a single-brand destination. Its tenant mix has included grocery, general merchandise, home-improvement, drugstore, and discount-retail businesses. Available historical records describe the center as having approximately 183,500 square feet of space in January 1991. By August 1995, the reported area had grown to approximately 193,500 square feet. These figures indicate that the property was a substantial suburban shopping center by the early 1990s, although the available material does not establish the exact dates or scope of the expansion. Crosstown Plaza’s ownership history in the available record begins with Wade Lupe Construction Company, a Schenectady County developer that owned the property as of July 1990. By April 1994, the ownership entity was identified as Hexam Gardens Construction Company, apparently a later name associated with the construction company. The sources do not provide a reliable current owner or a complete chain of title. A major feature of the plaza’s retail history was its long-running grocery presence. Price Chopper occupied space at the center for decades before leaving in March 2002 for a newly built store at Mohawk Commons. The departure created a significant vacancy and removed a frequent-visit anchor from the property. Plaza representatives sought another supermarket rather than simply replacing the space with smaller specialty tenants, recognizing that grocery traffic supported the rest of the center. PriceRite ultimately selected the former Price Chopper space for its first Capital Region location. In 2007, PriceRite moved to the former Ames space elsewhere in the plaza, and Ocean State Job Lot later occupied the vacated PriceRite location. Ocean State Job Lot also expanded into adjoining space formerly associated with a Fay’s drugstore, later operated under the Eckerd name, before that chain’s local closure following Rite Aid’s acquisition of Eckerd. The plaza also experienced the turnover typical of suburban retail properties. Sears Hardware left in 2006, and the former hardware space remained vacant for a period while being used for liquidation sales. In November 2009, Grossman’s Bargain Outlet was announced as the incoming tenant, and the store opened in February 2010. Crosstown Plaza was also considered for public-service use. In mid-1990, Schenectady County evaluated the possibility of relocating a Department of Motor Vehicles office to the plaza, alongside Mohawk Mall and Rotterdam Square Mall. The county legislature ultimately rejected the relocation. Contemporary estimates put the annual rent for a DMV operation at Crosstown Plaza at $29,640 if the site had been selected. The available references focus on historical property size, ownership, tenant changes, and proposed public use. They do not establish a definitive current tenant roster, current ownership structure, current floor area, or a dedicated corporate website. Crosstown Plaza is therefore best understood as a locally significant suburban retail center rather than an internationally marketed consumer brand.

Crosstown Plaza developed as a substantial suburban strip-mall property in the Schenectady area. It occupies a strategically accessible site along Watt Street and New York State Route 7, near Interstate 890 and the boundary between Schenectady and Rotterdam. The available historical record does not identify a precise opening year, original developer date, or formal founding event. By January 1991, however, the center was reported to contain approximately 183,500 square feet of retail space, making it a major local shopping destination. The reported area had reached approximately 193,500 square feet by August 1995. Ownership information from the period identifies Wade Lupe Construction Company as the owner in July 1990. By April 1994, the property was associated with Hexam Gardens Construction Company. The available sources do not establish whether this represented a sale, a corporate renaming, or another ownership change, and they do not identify the present owner. The center’s historical role was shaped by anchor-tenant changes. In 1990, Schenectady County considered the plaza as one of three possible sites for a Department of Motor Vehicles office. The proposal was not approved, with the county legislature choosing not to move the office there. The plaza’s estimated annual rent for such a use would have been $29,640. For many years, Price Chopper provided grocery-shopping traffic at Crosstown Plaza. Its move to a newly constructed Mohawk Commons store in March 2002 left a large vacancy and removed an important source of regular customer visits. Rather than filling the space with unrelated retail formats, the property’s representatives sought another grocery operator. PriceRite eventually learned of the opportunity and opened its first Capital Region store in the former Price Chopper unit. PriceRite later moved, in 2007, to the former Ames space within the plaza. Ocean State Job Lot subsequently occupied the former PriceRite location and expanded into neighboring space that had previously been associated with Fay’s and later Eckerd. That drugstore space became vacant after the local Eckerd operation closed in connection with Rite Aid’s acquisition of the Eckerd chain. Another significant vacancy followed Sears Hardware’s departure in 2006. The empty building was used periodically for large liquidation sales. In November 2009, Grossman’s Bargain Outlet was identified as the future occupant, and it opened in February 2010. This sequence illustrates the center’s continuing adaptation from traditional department-store and hardware uses toward discount and value-oriented retail. Crosstown Plaza’s documented history is therefore primarily a history of local commercial infrastructure: expansion in the early 1990s, consideration for public-service use, replacement of a long-standing supermarket anchor, internal tenant relocations, and reuse of large vacant units. The references do not provide a complete contemporary tenant list or enough information to describe current operations in detail. Its present status as a shopping property is retained, but current ownership, floor area, and tenant composition remain unverified.

• 2010

  Grossman’s Bargain Outlet opens

  [1]Crosstown Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Grossman’s Bargain Outlet opened in the former Sears Hardware building in February.

• 2007

  PriceRite relocates within the center

  [1]Crosstown Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  PriceRite moved from the former Price Chopper unit to the former Ames space in Crosstown Plaza.

• 2006

  Sears Hardware vacates the plaza

  [1]Crosstown Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Sears Hardware left its unit, beginning a period in which the building remained vacant apart from occasional liquidation sales.

• 2002

  Price Chopper departs and PriceRite arrives

  [1]Crosstown Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Price Chopper moved to Mohawk Commons, after which PriceRite took the former grocery space and opened its first Capital Region location.

• 1995

  Reported retail area reaches 193,500 square feet

  [1]Crosstown Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  The plaza was reported to contain approximately 193,500 square feet of space by August 1995.

• 1994

  Ownership associated with Hexam Gardens Construction Company

  [1]Crosstown Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  By April 1994, the property was identified with Hexam Gardens Construction Company rather than the Wade Lupe Construction Company name recorded in 1990.

• 1991

  Reported retail area reaches 183,500 square feet

  [1]Crosstown Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Historical information described the center as containing approximately 183,500 square feet of space in January 1991.

• 1990

  Crosstown Plaza identified as a possible DMV site

  [1]Crosstown Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Schenectady County considered the plaza, along with two other shopping centers, for a Department of Motor Vehicles office. The proposal was ultimately rejected.

A large, convenience-oriented suburban shopping center serving local and regional consumers through a changing mix of grocery, discount, household, hardware, and other retail tenants.

Product categories. Groceries and everyday food products · General merchandise and discount retail · Home-improvement and hardware goods · Drugstore and health-and-beauty products · Household and seasonal merchandise

• 2009

  Former Sears Hardware building assigned to Grossman’s Bargain OutletProduct launch

  Background

  Sears Hardware had vacated the building in 2006, leaving a large space unused for an extended period.

  Action taken

  Grossman’s Bargain Outlet was selected to move from Erie Boulevard into the former Sears Hardware location.

  Aftermath

  The new store opened in February 2010, restoring an active retail use to the building.

  Source

• 2002

  Management prioritizes a replacement grocery anchorStrategy

  Background

  Price Chopper’s move to Mohawk Commons left a large vacant unit and removed a frequent-traffic grocery tenant from the plaza.

  Action taken

  The property sought another grocery operator rather than filling the space with a different retail format. PriceRite ultimately opened in the former Price Chopper space.

  Aftermath

  PriceRite became the plaza’s replacement grocery tenant and later relocated within the center in 2007.

  Source

• 1990

  County rejects proposed DMV relocation to Crosstown PlazaOther

  Background

  Schenectady County examined Crosstown Plaza as one of several possible sites for a DMV office. The shopping center offered a potential retail-accessible location, with estimated annual rent of $29,640.

  Action taken

  The county legislature decided not to move the DMV office to Crosstown Plaza.

  Aftermath

  The plaza continued operating as a private retail center rather than becoming a county DMV location.

  Estimated annual rent for proposed DMV space. (1990)

  Source

1. 1Crosstown Plazaen.wikipedia.org