Big Changes At Ridge Hill: A New Look And New Public Spaces On The Way

YONKERS, NY — Ridge Hill's new owners say the Westchester shopping destination will become more pedestrian-friendly with an empahsis placed on the "town square" atmosphere to make the retail center an even more inviting place to spend time.

The redevelopment plans will kick off with reimagining the property’s streetscape and social gathering spaces, according to the owners. Immediate areas slated to receive facelifts include Cinema Plaza, near Legoland Discovery Center and TJ Maxx. Town Square, the 15,000-square-foot plaza along Market Street will see a major expansion soon after.

In May 2022, North American Properties (NAP), Nuveen Real Estate (Nuveen), and Taconic Partners formed a joint venture partnership to acquire Ridge Hill. On Thursday, the company announced that Phase I of its redevelopment, which focuses on enhancing the public space, has been approved by the Yonkers Department of Planning and Development.

Construction is anticipated to begin early next year.

"The City of Yonkers has extended a warm welcome to our team, and we are grateful to have the support of Mayor Spano and the Department of Planning & Development as we reinvest and maximize the potential of Ridge Hill," North American Properties' Kevin Polston said. "Our goal in this initial phase of work is to make the property more human-centric and get the street level right to inspire more frequent and extended guests visits."

Re-imagined as "Park Plaza," the 17,000-square-foot space on the center's north end (formerly Fountain Plaza) is set to become a family-friendly activity zone, under the plans. The fountain will be decommissioned and replaced with a lush public square with café tables.

The biggest change coming to Town Square is the pedestrianization of Second Street, the road parallel to Market Street, which will create a new car-free zone between Archer Avenue and Cole Street.

Town Square will then expand into the former roadway, increasing the central plaza space by approximately 10,000 square feet to accommodate larger events. A covered performance venue, seating, potted plants and fire pits will also be sprinkled throughout the space.

"Our event attendance has increased so much since we introduced more consistent event programming that it is putting pressure on our existing activation spaces," Ridge Hill General Manager Meghann Hongach explained. "We've enjoyed seeing the crowds continuously grow during our weekly and monthly events and look forward to being able to bring even more of our neighbors together soon."