Wheatley Plaza

Wheatley Plaza is an outdoor shopping center located at the southeastern corner of Northern Boulevard and Glen Cove Road in Greenvale, in the Town of North Hempstead, Nassau County, New York. It occupies the former site of the Wheatley Gardens flower nursery and was developed by Castagna & Sons, the company now known as Castagna Realty and also associated with the nearby Americana Manhasset shopping center. The center opened in 1980 and became one of the early examples of its type on Long Island. The original proposal emerged in 1977 for a 9.57-acre development containing a movie theater, supermarket, restaurants, and retail stores. After planning revisions and local approval, the movie theater was removed from the scheme, while the supermarket, restaurants, and approximately 20 to 25 stores remained. The project required an extension of the site's rezoning from residential to business and parking use because construction did not begin within the period covered by the initial approval. The development attracted opposition during planning, particularly because residents and officials feared that additional commercial activity would worsen congestion at the already busy Northern Boulevard and Glen Cove Road intersection. Supporters, including then-Town Supervisor Michael J. Tully Jr., argued that a planned shopping center would provide a more suitable land use than a collection of uncoordinated strip malls. The center's commercial identity was established by its supermarket anchor and local-service tenants. Pathmark opened in the supermarket space when the center opened in 1980 and remained there until the chain's parent company, The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, entered bankruptcy proceedings. Pathmark closed at Wheatley Plaza in 2015 and was replaced by Stop & Shop later that year. Ben's Kosher Deli opened at the center in 1982 and became one of its long-running restaurant tenants. Over time, Wheatley Plaza added a mix of food, beverage, beauty, apparel, specialty retail, and service businesses. Red Mango opened there in 2010, and Brooks Brothers opened a Fleece store in 2011, its third United States location of that type at the time. The center has also hosted or formerly hosted tenants associated with national retail brands, including Banana Republic and Aerie. Major tenants identified in 2024 include Ben's Kosher Deli, Bluemercury, Paper Source, Starbucks, and Stop & Shop. Wheatley Plaza has also had to manage its relationship with surrounding residential communities. Shortly after its opening, families in the adjacent Northern Woods Estates development complained that the shopping center's nighttime lighting reached their homes. A landscape-screening solution was subsequently introduced to reduce the impact of the lights. Today, the property remains an active, community-oriented shopping destination serving nearby residents and passing traffic along two major Long Island roads. Its significance lies less in international brand recognition than in its role as a durable local retail center and an example of planned suburban commercial development.

Wheatley Plaza was developed by Castagna & Sons, now Castagna Realty, on the former site of the Wheatley Gardens flower nursery in Greenvale, New York. Castagna first proposed the project in 1977 as a 9.57-acre planned shopping center. The initial concept included a movie theater, supermarket, restaurants, and retail shops. The plan was later revised to remove the theater while retaining the supermarket, restaurants, and roughly 20 to 25 stores. The development required local land-use approvals because the site was rezoned from residential use to business and parking use. Since construction did not begin within the period covered by the original rezoning approval, the Town of North Hempstead granted an extension. The proposal encountered opposition from people concerned that the project would intensify congestion at Northern Boulevard and Glen Cove Road. Its supporters, including Town Supervisor Michael J. Tully Jr., maintained that a planned center would be preferable to less coordinated strip-mall development. Construction began in 1978, and Wheatley Plaza opened in 1980. Pathmark became the supermarket anchor at opening, while Ben's Kosher Deli joined the center in 1982. The property's early operation also generated concerns from residents of the nearby Northern Woods Estates development, who complained about nighttime lighting. Landscape screening was used to limit light spill toward the homes. The tenant roster changed over subsequent decades as national and local businesses occupied the center. Red Mango opened in 2010, followed by a Brooks Brothers Fleece store in 2011. Pathmark remained an anchor for decades but closed in 2015 after the bankruptcy of its parent company, A&P. Stop & Shop replaced it during the same year. By 2024, the center's major tenants included Ben's Kosher Deli, Bluemercury, Paper Source, Starbucks, and Stop & Shop, while Banana Republic and Aerie were among the former major tenants. Castagna Realty owns and maintains the property, which continues to operate as an open-air shopping destination serving the surrounding Long Island communities.

• 2015

  Pathmark departs and Stop & Shop arrives

  [1]Wheatley Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Pathmark closed after A&P's bankruptcy, and Stop & Shop subsequently replaced it as the supermarket tenant.

• 2011

  Brooks Brothers Fleece location opens

  [1]Wheatley Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Brooks Brothers opened a Fleece store reported as its third United States location of that format.

• 2010

  Red Mango opens

  [1]Wheatley Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Red Mango added a frozen-yogurt and dessert location to the property.

• 1982

  Ben's Kosher Deli opens

  [1]Wheatley Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Ben's Kosher Deli opened a location at the center.

• 1980

  Wheatley Plaza opens

  [1]Wheatley Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  The open-air shopping center opened with Pathmark as its supermarket anchor.

• 1978

  Construction planning advances

  [1]Wheatley Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  After revisions removed the movie theater, construction planning proceeded for a supermarket, restaurants, and approximately 20 to 25 stores.

• 1977

  Shopping-center proposal introduced

  [1]Wheatley Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Castagna & Sons proposed a 9.57-acre shopping center on the former Wheatley Gardens nursery site, initially including a movie theater, supermarket, restaurants, and retail stores.

A landscaped, open-air neighborhood shopping center combining grocery, dining, beverage, beauty, apparel, and specialty retail for communities in northern Nassau County and the wider Long Island market.

• Supermarket anchor · 2015

  Stop & Shop

  Stop & Shop is the center's supermarket anchor, occupying the space formerly used by Pathmark. Its presence provides grocery shopping and everyday household retail for nearby residents and contributes the principal large-format offering within the center.

• Restaurant · 1982

  Ben's Kosher Deli

  Ben's Kosher Deli is a long-running restaurant tenant at Wheatley Plaza. It opened at the center in 1982 and represents the property's established dining component alongside more recent national food and beverage tenants.

• Beauty retail

  Bluemercury

  Bluemercury is identified as one of Wheatley Plaza's major tenants in 2024, adding prestige beauty, skincare, cosmetics, and related personal-care retail to the center's tenant mix.

• Stationery and specialty retail

  Paper Source

  Paper Source is identified among the center's major 2024 tenants and contributes stationery, paper goods, gifts, and related specialty merchandise to the shopping center's offer.

• Coffeehouse

  Starbucks

  Starbucks is listed as a major tenant at Wheatley Plaza, providing coffee, beverages, and light food service and reinforcing the center's role as a convenient neighborhood destination.

• 2015

  Replace Pathmark with Stop & ShopOther

  Background

  Pathmark closed after the bankruptcy of its parent company, A&P, ending a supermarket tenancy that had lasted since the center opened.

  Action taken

  Stop & Shop took over the supermarket role at Wheatley Plaza.

  Aftermath

  The center retained a grocery anchor while changing from its original supermarket brand to Stop & Shop.

  Source

• 1978

  Revise the original development planStrategy

  Background

  The first proposal envisioned a movie theater as well as retail, dining, and grocery uses. Local planning and development considerations led to a revised scheme.

  Action taken

  The movie theater was removed while the supermarket, restaurants, and approximately 20 to 25 retail stores were retained.

  Aftermath

  The revised plan proceeded toward construction and formed the basis of the shopping center that opened in 1980.

  Source

1. 1Wheatley Plazaen.wikipedia.org