Bay Plaza Shopping Center-The Economic and Recreational Heart of the Co-op City

Bay Plaza Mall has always been a major retail destination for the residents of Co-op City, and much of the Northeast section of the Bronx since its initial completion in the early 1988.

The Bay Plaza Mall is the economic and recreational heart of Co-op City. With everything ranging from a movie theatre, fitness center, and numerous restaurants and retail stores, Bay Plaza Mall is a shopping district within itself. The mall is continuing to grow. In 2012, Bay Plaza made big headlines when Prestige Properties announced it would be creating the first enclosed mall(The Mall at Bay Plaza) in NYC in over 40 years. The addition will be added between the current JCPenny  Barnes and Noble stores. The newest Macy's location in NYC in over 10 years will be created to enclosed the other side of the enclosed mall.

Bay Plaza Mall is in its own special way a symbolism of Co-op City and the Bronx itself due to its ever evolving nature. Over the years, I have personally witnessed the many changes which have been both reated and destroyed in the outdoor mall.

The initial mall was row of many smaller stores with an incredibly massive amount of parking space. Over the years, the parking lot has been strategically disected to make room for more structures that currently house Bank of America, Dots Clothing Store, Pier 1 Imports, and most recently BOB's Discount furniture store which is set to open on Saturday May 25, 2013. 

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