Westchester's Ridge Hill

Ridge Hill, formerly branded Westchester's Ridge Hill, is a mixed-use lifestyle center in Yonkers, New York. The development occupies an approximately 84-acre site positioned between Interstate 87 and the Sprain Brook Parkway. Rather than functioning solely as an enclosed shopping mall, Ridge Hill combines stores, restaurants, entertainment venues, residential condominiums, and office space in a large-format, open-air commercial environment. The project emerged from a public redevelopment effort led by the Yonkers Industrial Development Agency. Planning began around 2000, when city and development officials sought to convert a strategically located but underproductive parcel into a source of employment, tax revenue, and consumer activity. Before redevelopment, the land had been used by a sanitarium, hospital, church, and rehabilitation center. A later arrangement involving Lockheed Martin did not produce the expected level of employment, and the city ultimately pursued a new developer-selection process. Forest City Ratner Companies, the New York subsidiary of Forest City Enterprises, won the development contract. Forest City acquired the site from the City of Yonkers and announced an ambitious retail-led project. Early prospective tenants included Whole Foods Market and L.L.Bean, while Saks Fifth Avenue was also reported to have considered a location. Site clearance began in early 2007, and the project formally broke ground on November 8 of that year. The original schedule anticipated completion in 2009, but the global economic recession caused Forest City to defer the opening until 2011. Ridge Hill opened with a broad tenant mix intended to attract both routine shoppers and destination visitors. Major components included Whole Foods Market, Dick's Sporting Goods, Lowe's, TJ Maxx, Showcase Cinemas, restaurants, and other specialty retailers. Lord & Taylor also announced an approximately 80,000-square-foot department-store anchor in December 2010. Saks Fifth Avenue ultimately decided not to establish a Ridge Hill location. The center continued to add tenants after opening, including Starbucks and The Container Store, and expanded its entertainment offer with a Legoland Discovery Center. The Legoland Discovery Center opened on March 26, 2013, with an announced investment of $12 million. It was described as the first Legoland Discovery Center in the northeastern United States and the fifth in the country, giving Ridge Hill a regional family-entertainment attraction beyond conventional shopping and dining. The property changed ownership as the Forest City portfolio evolved. Forest City sold its mall business to Queensland Investment Corporation, and Ridge Hill later changed hands again. On May 6, 2022, the center was reported to have been acquired for $220 million by a joint venture of Nuveen Real Estate, Taconic Partners, and North American Properties. The new ownership group outlined plans to refresh the physical environment and pursue additional luxury, fitness, dining, and entertainment tenants. Ridge Hill's current identity is therefore that of a regional lifestyle destination rather than a single-format mall. Its value proposition rests on a combination of accessible highway location, open-air retail, grocery and home-improvement necessities, restaurants, cinema and family entertainment, and mixed-use real-estate components. The center's history also reflects broader changes in American retail property: public-sector land redevelopment, recession-delayed construction, the shift from department-store dependence toward experiential uses, and institutional ownership focused on repositioning established shopping destinations.

Ridge Hill developed from a long-running Yonkers redevelopment initiative. Around 2000, the Yonkers Industrial Development Agency began planning for a large project intended to stimulate employment and make productive use of a strategically located parcel. Before redevelopment, the site had hosted several institutional uses, including a sanitarium, a hospital, a church, and a rehabilitation center. The city later entered into an arrangement involving Lockheed Martin, but the expected employment benefits did not materialize. Yonkers purchased the remaining interest in that arrangement and reopened the site to competing development proposals. Forest City Ratner Companies, Forest City's New York subsidiary, was selected to develop the property. The project was planned as a mixed-use lifestyle center rather than a conventional enclosed mall, with retail, restaurants, entertainment, homes, and offices integrated into a large open-air setting. The development occupies approximately 84 acres between Interstate 87 and the Sprain Brook Parkway. Whole Foods Market and L.L.Bean were among the early announced tenants, and Saks Fifth Avenue was reported to have considered a store before ultimately declining to proceed. The site was cleared in early 2007, followed by a formal groundbreaking on November 8. Forest City originally expected to complete the project in 2009. The recession of the late 2000s disrupted the timetable, however, and the developer announced in 2009 that the opening would be postponed until 2011. Tenant announcements continued during the preparation period. Dick's Sporting Goods, Brio Tuscan Grille, and REI were identified in November 2010, while Lord & Taylor announced an approximately 80,000-square-foot anchor store the following month. Ridge Hill opened in 2011 with a tenant mix spanning grocery, apparel, sporting goods, home improvement, restaurants, and entertainment. The project was designed to serve both local shopping needs and destination visits, using its highway accessibility and broad range of uses to distinguish it from a single-purpose retail property. Subsequent leasing added brands such as Starbucks and The Container Store. The center expanded its experiential component in March 2013 with the opening of a Legoland Discovery Center. The attraction represented a reported $12 million investment and occupied approximately 32,300 square feet. Its opening added a family-oriented destination use to the center and helped reinforce Ridge Hill's lifestyle and entertainment positioning. Further tenant additions were announced in 2014. Ownership later moved beyond Forest City. Forest City sold its mall business to Queensland Investment Corporation, and Ridge Hill subsequently underwent another ownership transition. In May 2022, Nuveen Real Estate, Taconic Partners, and North American Properties acquired the center through a joint venture in a transaction reported at $220 million. The new owners announced plans to refresh the physical environment and attract more luxury, fitness, dining, and entertainment businesses. The closure of the Lord & Taylor store in 2020 illustrated the pressure on traditional department-store anchors. Its parent company ultimately ceased operations during the COVID-19 period, leaving Ridge Hill to continue adapting its tenant and experience mix. Today the property remains an active Yonkers lifestyle center whose model combines shopping, food, entertainment, housing, and offices.

• 2022

  Acquisition by Nuveen, Taconic, and North American Properties

  [1]Ridge Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org

  A joint venture involving the three real-estate firms acquired Ridge Hill and announced a repositioning program.

• 2020

  Lord & Taylor closes

  [1]Ridge Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The department-store anchor's closure was announced during the COVID-19-era collapse of its parent company.

• 2013

  Legoland Discovery Center opens

  [1]Ridge Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The center added a major family-entertainment attraction in a reported $12 million project.

• 2011

  Grand opening

  [1]Ridge Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Ridge Hill opened as a mixed-use lifestyle center with retail, restaurants, residences, and offices.

• 2009

  Opening deferred to 2011

  [1]Ridge Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The recession led Forest City to postpone the planned completion from 2009 to 2011.

• 2007

  Site cleared and construction begins

  [1]Ridge Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The property was cleared early in the year, and formal construction began on November 8.

• 2000

  Yonkers begins planning a redevelopment

  [1]Ridge Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The Yonkers Industrial Development Agency began planning a major project to redevelop the site and encourage job creation.

An open-air, mixed-use lifestyle destination serving Yonkers and the wider Westchester County market through a combination of everyday retail, restaurants, entertainment, and residential and office uses.

• Grocery anchor · 2011

  Whole Foods Market

  Whole Foods Market is one of Ridge Hill's major grocery-oriented anchors, supporting frequent local visits and complementing the center's destination retail, restaurant, and entertainment uses.

• Sporting-goods retail · 2011

  Dick's Sporting Goods

  Dick's Sporting Goods provides sporting equipment, apparel, footwear, and related merchandise. Its large-format presence contributes an everyday and destination shopping component to Ridge Hill's tenant mix.

• Home improvement · 2011

  Lowe's

  Lowe's is a home-improvement anchor serving household renovation, maintenance, building, and outdoor-living needs. The format broadens Ridge Hill beyond fashion, dining, and entertainment.

• Off-price department store · 2011

  TJ Maxx

  TJ Maxx contributes off-price apparel, home goods, accessories, and general merchandise to Ridge Hill's value-oriented retail offer.

• Cinema · 2011

  Showcase Cinemas

  Showcase Cinemas provides movie-theater entertainment and functions as a destination use that supports evening and weekend visitation to the wider center.

• Family entertainment · 2013

  Legoland Discovery Center

  Legoland Discovery Center is an indoor, Lego-themed family attraction featuring interactive experiences and play-oriented entertainment. Its Ridge Hill location opened in 2013 as a major experiential addition to the property.

• Department store · 2011

  Lord & Taylor

  Lord & Taylor operated an approximately 80,000-square-foot department-store anchor announced before Ridge Hill's opening. The location later closed in 2020 during the parent company's business failure.

• 2022

  Reposition the lifestyle centerStrategy

  Background

  A new ownership group acquired Ridge Hill amid continuing changes in retail real estate and the decline of traditional department-store anchors.

  Action taken

  Nuveen Real Estate, Taconic Partners, and North American Properties announced plans to update the property and pursue additional luxury, fitness, dining, and entertainment tenants.

  Aftermath

  The announced program positioned Ridge Hill for continued use as a diversified lifestyle and mixed-use destination.

  Reported acquisition price. $220 million (2022)

  Source

• 2013

  Add Legoland Discovery CenterProduct launch

  Background

  Ridge Hill sought to strengthen its destination and family-entertainment offer beyond conventional shopping.

  Action taken

  The center opened a 32,300-square-foot Legoland Discovery Center in a project reported to cost $12 million.

  Aftermath

  The attraction became a prominent experiential component of the property and broadened its regional draw.

  Reported project investment. $12 million (2013)

  Source

• 2009

  Postpone the opening scheduleStrategy

  Background

  The project was being developed during the late-2000s economic recession, which affected construction and retail development conditions.

  Action taken

  Forest City moved the expected completion date from 2009 to 2011.

  Aftermath

  Ridge Hill ultimately opened in 2011 with a mixed-use retail, dining, and entertainment format.

  Source

1. 1Ridge Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Ridge Hill official websiteridgehill.com