CITRUS PARK, N.Y. — A massive mall near the coast has been completed in West Chester County, bringing the total of such projects that the state has in place to about 1,000, according to the state Department of Transportation.
Its completion was announced Friday by Gov.
Andrew Cuomo as part of the state’s plan to revitalize its downtown area, which has struggled to attract tourists and jobs.
The Grand Mall is about 1.5 miles north of the town of Cherry Hill, about 15 miles south of New York City.
A $5 billion project is expected to open in 2020.
In addition to Grand Mall, the state also has the East Ridge Mall in the same area, the Cherry Hill Mall, a park in the county’s North Branch, a shopping center in the town’s North Park, and a new shopping complex at the old Citrus Park mall, in the North Park area.
The state has about 2,400 miles of roads, according the state DOT.
The state DOT has announced about $60 million in grants to local governments to make improvements in the areas where the projects will be completed, including in the South Bronx, where it has the Red Cross Shelter, a temporary shelter that is used to house homeless people and other people with disabilities.
More than 30 projects have been approved since the DOT started accepting applications in the fall.
As part of its efforts, the DOT has begun building a pilot program to expand pedestrian-bike paths at various sites in the state, including the East Rock Road, the Long Island Railroad and the Long Branch Bridge.
This project will also help bring some of the city’s retail spaces, which are already on the ground, into the Grand Mall.
For example, the Red Hook Mall, which was previously home to the New York State Museum of Art, will now be a pedestrian-only shopping center, according, the governor.
One of the new spaces, a food court at the Long Beach mall, will be called The Whole Foods, as part, the mall has been named the best shopping destination in the country by USA Today.