By David Cruz 

The highly anticipated Bay Plaza Mall in Co-Op City opened with plenty of verve, a tsunami of crowds, and borough pride.

“We arrived,” declared Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., shortly after cutting the ceremonial ribbon of the new mall alongside developers and elected officials.

The indoor, suburban-style mall is akin to those seen in Westchester County, with the Galleria and The Westchester shopping mall appearing to have influenced the look of the center.

It also marks the first indoor mall in nearly 40 years for New York City, with a crop of high-end stores not seen in the borough, an indication of new investments to the borough. The opening comes on the heels of a Target mall opening in Throggs Neck, continuing the borough’s current trend of major economic development.

Anchored by the Macy’s Department Store, among never-before-seen stores include Swarovski, Bath & Body Works and U.S. Polo, housed next to restaurants that include The Olive Garden and Joe’s Crab Shack. The mall complements the already existing Bay Plaza Shopping Center, making it largest retail area in the city.

 “It’s humbling to know that we have brought a number of new stores and jobs to the borough,” said Sam Shalem, Chairman and CEO of Prestige Properties & Development Co. Inc., which owns the massive piece of land. 

Doors opened to customers at 10am, with many first-time shoppers hailing from nearby Co-Op City, home to 25,000 residents who regularly shop elsewhere.

“We don’t have to go to Cross County Mall now,” said Hyacinth Burrel, a Co-Op City resident who referred to the mall in Yonkers. “The Bronx people have to travel way out.”

Viola Phillips has lived in Co-Op City for 44 years and she was equally impressed by the mall, and relieved to have an option aside from traveling to the Macy’s in Manhattan’s Herald Square. “This is convenient for me,” she said.

Stores at the mall opened at the 10 o’clock mark yet, with a swell of lines at the new H&M Store. Rolando Veras Jr. waited patiently outside the store. He was one of hundreds issuing a countdown at the stroke of 11 o’clock, when the store opened.

Crews for Prestige Properties began building the $300 million, 780,000-square-foot mall two years ago. Several hundred construction employees, mainly from the Bronx, helped design the beige-colored, art-deco style mall and two-story parking lot.

“You can’t believe the obstacles in order to do this, it’s almost impossible. You needed city, federal and state cooperation, ” said Peter Vallone Sr., former Queens Borough President and consultant to Prestige Properties.

Another 1,800 retail jobs have been created thanks to the new mall, with a majority going towards long term unemployed Bronxites. The numbers can further put a dent on the borough’s staggering double-digit unemployment rate, one of the worst in the state.

Diaz Jr. anecdotally approached Bay Plaza Mall employees wondering where they were from. Many hailed from the borough. “The closer to the mall the better,” said Diaz Jr. of the new hires.

But with a new mall, and its nearly 100 stores, comes a new influx of thousands of new shoppers bringing in a swell of traffic. Local residents have expressed concern over the new traffic, though local legislators have been addressing them with a series of brainstorming meetings to ease any traffic congestions.

Councilman Andy King, whose district covers the mall, said one measure would be to create an exit ramp by the Hutchinson River Parkway.

“There will be people managing traffic to get a handle on everyone,” said King.

Traffic could also be eased should the MTA agree to the expansion of its Metro-North service to the east Bronx.