News story made available courtesy of The Poughkeepsie Journal.

Dutchess Mall lands plum
Fishkill OKs Home Depot

Saturday, March 26, 2005

By Tammy Cilione

FISHKILL -- It's official. A Home Depot outlet will soon be breathing new life into the old Dutchess Mall in Fishkill.

The Fishkill town planning board gave final site plan approval Thursday for construction of a 132,000-square-foot Home Depot at the site on Route 9 near the intersection with Interstate 84.

Much of the mall has been vacant for at least four years, said David Livshin, president and CEO of the Dagar Group, which is leasing and managing agent for the property.

The next step is applying for demolition permits from the town's building department to knock down approximately 250,000 square feet of the mall, Livshin said.

Charter One Bank, a tenant in the building to be demolished, will move to space in a smaller building at the south end of the mall, which once housed Pergament and later Treasure Island. The move is expected in early April.

The popular flea market will continue in the 82,000-square-foot space, once home to the defunct Service Merchandise. Also, the adjacent Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union, McDonald's restaurant and the J.W. Mays Co. buildings will not be demolished as part of this project.

The Home Depot store will not only generate sales tax revenue but 150 part- and full-time jobs, according to the initial announcement of their pending arrival in October 2004.

The store's facade will not mirror other local Home Depots, Livshin said.

''There were a number of modifications to what most (people) recognize as a typical Home Depot,'' he said. Both the color palette and building materials used will be different. For example, cultured stone will be used for bases of columns stretching across the front of the store and in the vestibule. Rather than the trademark orange exterior, the store will have dark earth tones and green roof accents.

Added design costs
The cost of building a typical Home Depot runs about $6 million and the additional upgrades for the Fishkill store will drive the price up another $500,000.

Planning board member Robert LaColla, who is in the construction business, liked the design.

''They really did a nice job. They came in with the standard design and made a good effort by keeping in the quality to the town,'' he said.

Councilman Dennis Zack said he was happy the mall will be revitalized. It would help with the town's tax base, which is undergoing a reassessment, he said. "Now that you have Home Depot there, there will be other people coming to the site.''

On Friday, planning board Chairman James Wick said, ''We're very pleased with the changes they were willing to make.''

The design incorporates and reflects the historic aspects of Fishkill, which was important to the board, he said.

Greater Southern Dutchess Chamber of Commerce President Ann Chambers Meagher said the addition of the retailer to that location will be a boon to Fishkill.

''I grew up in the Wiccopee area, and that was an area that was bustling. I think it's exciting to think of the economic activity that's going to reoccur there.''