Green Acres Mall

Green Acres Mall
The main atrium inside the mall in 2023
LocationSouth Valley Stream, New York, U.S.
Coordinates40°39′43″N 73°43′12″W / 40.662°N 73.720°W / 40.662; -73.720
Opened1956 (1956)
OwnerThe Macerich Company
Stores174
6
Floor area2,069,000 square feet (192,200 m2)
Floors2 (3 in Macy's Men's and Furniture; 4 in main Macy's)
Public transit
 Nassau Inter-County Express: n1, Elmont Flexi Shuttle
New York City Bus: Q5, Q87, Q89
WebsiteGreen Acres Mall

Green Acres Mall is a shopping mall located within the hamlet of South Valley Stream, in Nassau County, New York, off Sunrise Highway near the Nassau County–New York City border and the Incorporated Village of Valley Stream.

As of 2026, the mall features two Macy's locations and a Primark as its anchor tenants. The mall also features many staples like Express, H&M, and Uniqlo.[1] The mall has a gross leasable area (GLA) of 2,069,000 square feet (192,200 m2).[2] The mall is the 18th largest in the United States and is extremely popular in Nassau County and in the neighboring New York City borough of Queens. It is accessible by many Nassau Inter-County Express routes as well as three MTA New York City Bus routes, the Q5, Q87 and Q89, that cross the city border to the west of property.

History

Green Acres Mall was built in 1956 on the northern portion of Curtiss Airfield and was one of Long Island's first open air malls.[3][4] It was partially built on the former site of the Columbia Aircraft Corporation.[4] During the mall's early years, WMCA 'Good Guys' would broadcast from the mall – as would WABC.[5]

In 1968, the mall was enclosed, in order "to create an even more appealing shopping environment." At the time, there were three anchor stores: Lane's, JCPenney, and Gimbels. There were further renovations as well as an expansion in 1983 – including the addition of both the mall's second floor and a food court, along with the opening of Sears as a fourth anchor store.[6]

To better compete with Roosevelt Field – Long Island's largest shopping mall, a multimillion-dollar food court renovation project was completed in 2006, and the renovation of the mall's ceilings and floors was completed in March 2007.[7] Additionally, a Best Buy, PetSmart, and BJ's Wholesale Club all opened at the mall in early 2007.[7]

The mall was owned and operated by Vornado Realty Trust until January 2013.[8][9] It was announced in May 2012 that Vornado planned to sell the mall and some of its other retail centers, and in October 2012, it was announced that the mall was being sold to The Macerich Company in a deal that completed in the beginning of 2013.[10] As of 2026, Macerich remains the owner and operator of the mall.[10]

In 2024, it was announced that the mall would undergo a major renovation and expansion project.[11][12] As part of the project, the former Sears space would be partially demolished and replaced with expanded retail, dining, and entertainment options and enhanced amenities.[11][12]

Anchor stores

As of 2026, the mall has three anchor stores: Macy's, Macy's Men's & Furniture Gallery, and Primark.[13]

Former anchors

  • Gimbels (218,700 square feet (20,320 m2))- Opened in 1956 with the mall and closed in 1987. It was replaced by Abraham & Straus in 1986 and then Macy's in 1995.
  • Lane's (216,400 square feet (20,100 m2))- Opened in 1960 and closed in 1965. It was first replaced by Love's in 1966, which was then converted to S. Klein in 1968. Korvettes took over the space in 1975. Then Gertz took over in 1982 and was rebranded as Stern’s a year later. After Federated Department Stores retired the Stern’s nameplate in 2001, the space was subdivided between a Macy's Men's & Furniture Gallery and Kohls. Kohls closed in 2019 and its space is still vacant as of 2026 with redevelopment plans in the works.[14]
  • JCPenney (113,160 square feet (10,513 m2))- Opened in 1957 and closed in 2020 after nearly 63 years of operation. In 1982 the store was expanded into the basement doubling its size from 53,400 square feet (4,960 m2).[15] After it closed, the ground floor was subdivided between Uniqlo and Primark, which opened in 2023.[15]
  • Century 21 (72,300 square feet (6,720 m2))- Opened in 2015 in a space made up of 18 former interior stores.[4][5] It closed in 2021 when the chain went out of business and became a Shoppers World for a short period until 2024.[16] It was then turned back into interior mall space with Foot Locker taking up the largest section on the first level. As of 2026, the whole upper level remains vacant.
  • J. J. Newberry (52,000 square feet (4,800 m2))- Opened in 1957 and closed by the 1980s. It was turned into additional mall space after closing.
  • Sears (150,000 square feet (14,000 m2))- Opened in 1983 and closed in 2021. As of 2026, it is being demolished along with the adjacent parking garage and auto center for new green spaces, dining, and an 80,000 sqft ShopRite scheduled to open in 2027.[12]
  • Alexander’s (320,000 square feet (30,000 m2))- Opened in 1967 and closed in 1992 when the chain went bankrupt. The store sat on the mall property close to Sunrise Hwy but was not connected to the mall itself. After closing it was demolished and a Caldor was built on the site in 1994, which would later become Target in 1999.

Green Acres Commons

In 2015, the Sunrise Cinemas complex at 750 Sunrise Highway was acquired by RIPCO NY – a real estate management company, which completed a 366,000-square-foot (34,000 m2) open-air expansion project at the mall for The Macerich Company, with new shops and standalone eateries; this expansion is known as Green Acres Commons.[17][18][19] This part of the complex opened in October 2016, with a BJ's Brewhouse, Buffalo Wild Wings, Ulta, 24-Hour Fitness, DXL, Five Below, Dick's Sporting Goods, HomeGoods, Sonic Drive-In, Ashley HomeStore, Burlington, followed by the addition of a Capital One Bank in 2017 and an AT&T in 2019.[20][21] The existing Bronx BBQ – an 8,000-square-foot (740 m2) eatery on the northwest corner – remained. To the south are a Walmart and a Home Depot.[22]

There have been lawsuits to roll-back a $4.5 million tax increase affecting the three-town area surrounding Green Acres Mall.[19][23] The Town of Hempstead Industrial Development Agency provided a tax incentive to Green Acres Mall that would reduce the 2016 liability by that amount, resulting in increases that residents met with protests. The 15-year deal hinged on the promise of added security, renovations to the mall complex, and new higher-end stores which resulted in the commons.[19]

Public transportation

Green Acres Mall is served by two Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) bus routes: the n1 and the Elmont Flexi Shuttle.[24] In addition, the Q5 (weekends only), Q87, and Q89 bus routes of the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) serve the mall. The bus terminal is located at the south end of the mall, at Ring Road South.[24]

Incidents

Series of incidents that have happened at Green Acres Mall

See also

References

  1. ^ Part of the parking lot and stores on the north side of the property are in the Village, while the mall itself is in the unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place of South Valley Stream in the Town of Hempstead
  2. ^ "Green Acres Mall". International Council of Shopping Centers. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved August 27, 2007.
  3. ^ Brennan, T.J. (July 23, 2014). "Green Acres mall continues revamp". Herald Community Newspapers. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  4. ^ a b "Advance Sunrise Airport / Curtiss Airport / Columbia Aircraft Company Airfield, Valley Stream, NY, 40.66, -73.724 (East of JFK Airport, NY)". Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields. Archived from the original on December 23, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2019. Advance Sunrise Airport was opened in 1928 on leased land of the Reisert farm. The airport was operated by Advance Aircraft Corporation, of which Francis Rogers was the president of the company. In 1929, Curtiss-Wright purchased the Advance Sunrise Airport property. Several millions of dollars were invested before the Curtiss Airport became operational. Hundreds of planes used the facility daily, along with famous aviators like Charles Lindbergh & Wiley Post.
  5. ^ Ingrassia, Michelle (May 24, 1998). "To the Malls, Bearing Money". Newsday. p. A54. Archived from the original on September 18, 2005.
  6. ^ "Green Acres History". Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Hunter, Nate (January 30, 2013). "Macerich Completes $500 Million Green Acres Mall Deal". Shopping Center Business. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  8. ^ Phillips, Ted (October 22, 2012). "Green Acres Mall to be sold for $500 million". Newsday. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  9. ^ Winzelberg, David (May 23, 2012). "Vornado Realty Trust selling Green Acres mall | Long Island Business News". Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  10. ^ a b Jonas, Ilaina (October 22, 2012). "Macerich to buy two malls from Vornado and Vornado affiliate". U.S. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  11. ^ a b "Green Acres Mall Redevelopment, New York, USA". Retail Insight Network. Archived from the original on November 15, 2025. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  12. ^ a b c White, Mike (June 2, 2025). "Green Acres Mall demolition marks start of massive project in Valley Stream". Greater Long Island. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  13. ^ Macerich. "Green Acres | Center Map". www.shopgreenacres.com. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  14. ^ Parrish, Tory N. (January 18, 2019). "Kohl's to close LI store, affecting 81 workers". Newsday. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  15. ^ a b Winzelberg, David (June 23, 2023). "Primark opens at Green Acres Mall | Long Island Business News". Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  16. ^ Parrish, Tory N. (October 22, 2021). "Shoppers World opens first LI discount store, in Green Acres Mall". Newsday. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  17. ^ Ocasio, Victor (October 8, 2015). "LI mall's $84M expansion to add restaurants, stores". Newsday. Archived from the original on October 9, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  18. ^ [1]
  19. ^ a b c "Green Acres Commons opens in Valley Stream". Herald Community Newspapers. October 19, 2016. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  20. ^ Costello, Alex (October 7, 2016). "Green Acres Commons Opens, Brings More Retail to South Shore". Malverne-Lynbrook, NY Patch. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  21. ^ Monteverdi, Suzanne (February 21, 2017). "Sonic Drive-In Opens In Green Acres Mall In Valley Stream". www.longislandpress.com. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  22. ^ "Long Island's Green Acres Mall to expand by $163 Million….Update's*". Political Dog 101. March 10, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  23. ^ Fiscina, Amanda (June 10, 2026). "Expanded Green Acres". Newsday. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  24. ^ a b "Long Island Zoning Atlas". www.longislandindexmaps.org. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  25. ^ Bonfiglio, Briana (December 5, 2022). ""Torso Killer" Admits to Decades-old Murders of 5 Women in Nassau, Pleads Guilty in Green Acres Mall Killing". Long Island Press. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  26. ^ News 12 Staff (September 1, 2019). "Hazmat incident prompts evacuation of Green Acres Mall". News 12. Retrieved September 1, 2019.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ "Green Acres Mall shooting: Man struck in leg inside Famous Footwear". Fox 5 News. March 8, 2022.
  28. ^ Cergol, Greg; Shea, Tom (October 23, 2023). "Long Island mall locked down after shoplifter fires gun, runs off pantsless". NBC4NY. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
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