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Outdoor Replacement On The Way For Nanuet Mall

NANUET, NY (WCBS 880) - When Palisades Center opened in West Nyack, the nearby Nanuet Mall fell into its figurative shadows.

WCBS 880's Paul Murnane On The Story

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Now, there is word of what will replace the aging structure.

It's crickets and cracked asphalt, but retired carpenter Ed Morensic recalls working on Bamberger's and other Nanuet Mall originals.

"I can still see a couple of little bits and pieces that I had my hands on," he told WCBS 880 reporter Paul Murnane. "I tell you, I particularly liked this mall, maybe because of the attachment that I had with it."

"It seems such a shame to take down a beautiful building. That's what we do in this country," said Philip Vallone.

He says he never stopped shopping, or at least taking a walk, at the Nanuet Mall, even when all of the other shoppers left.

What's to come is more of an outdoor 'Main Street' type shopping center.

The existing structure, except for the Macy's and the Sears, would be demolished.

Nanuet Mall
Nanuet Mall - Nanuet, NY - Sep 13, 2011 (credit: Paul Murnane / WCBS 880)

Clarkstown supervisor Alex Gromack believes Simon Properties is showing faith in the town's longterm vitality.

"I think they wanted to do something different so that people would have a choice between the traditional mall that's in town and this new mall," he said.

Gromack says it will be a bright spot on the town's tax ledger.

"The last ten years or so, they were at rock bottom. So, this will certainly bring them up to a point that is going to help the Nanuet school district and the town," he said.

The town, he says, is embracing this project and demolition of what use to be cutting edge retail cool could be under way by year's end.

What do you think of the plans for the site? Sound off below.

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