East Meadow shopping center's $28M revamp brings new tenants to formerly struggling property

A $28 million revamp of a struggling East Meadow shopping center that has brought several new tenants, including indoor playground Catch Air and Shake Shack, is nearly complete.

The façade, lighting and upgrades at the property formerly known as East Meadow Plaza, which was an "under-earning center," were aimed at boosting shopper numbers and improving the merchandise offerings, according to Regency Centers Corp., the Jacksonville, Florida-based real estate investment trust that owns the property.

"Regency acquired East Meadow Plaza because we saw an opportunity to reinvest in the center and better serve the East Meadow community. The redevelopment has brought in a strong mix of new tenants and created a more modern, connected shopping experience," Regency spokeswoman Chelsea DuDeVoire Careccia said in an email.

In 2022, Regency bought the 198,000-square-foot shopping center, which includes discount grocery store Lidl and is located near the intersection of Hempstead Turnpike and East Meadow Avenue. Regency had bought an adjacent, 141,000-square-foot shopping center, anchored by a Stew Leonard’s supermarket and off-price store Marshalls, in 2021.

The two properties — East Meadow Plaza on the north and Stew Leonard’s Plaza on the south — were renamed The Meadows.

Both the Lidl and Stew Leonard’s grocery stores perform well, Careccia said.

But the former East Meadow Plaza had been challenged by a high vacancy rate.

The redevelopment modernizes the center, improves safety and traffic flow, and connects it with the south side to create a cohesive shopping destination, Careccia said.

Façade work started in 2024 and was finished in early 2025, she said. Site work and the construction of new freestanding buildings began in September and will be done this month, she said.

The work included upgrading drainage, putting in new lighting and landscaping, and adding sidewalks connecting the north and south sides of the shopping center. It also will include the future demolition of a 70,000-square-foot, five-story office building, Careccia said.

Tenants that have opened since early last year include Pet Supplies Plus, Five Below and Tropical Smoothie Cafe, which opened in the second quarter of 2025; Mogu Modern Chinese Kitchen, which opened in the first quarter of 2026; Catch Air, Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care and Flagstar Bank, which opened in the third quarter of 2026 in a new two-tenant building; and burger eatery Shake Shack, which opened Oct. 21.

Jinya Ramen Bar and M Nail Bar have signed leases, but they have not yet opened, Careccia said.

The former Stew Leonard’s Plaza, on the south side of The Meadows, also has received some updates. The façade was painted in 2021-22, and a drive aisle is under construction to provide easier access to the shops from the former East Meadow Plaza and Hempstead Turnpike, Careccia said.

'It was falling apart'

Stew Leonard’s Plaza was among four Long Island shopping centers that Regency bought from Serota Properties in Valley Stream for $130 million in 2021.

In 2022, Regency paid $30 million to buy East Meadow Plaza from 1900 Hempstead Turnpike LLC, an entity of the Weiss family.

Regency bought that property with the intention of redeveloping the "under-earning center," Michael J. Mas, Regency’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, told analysts during a November 2022 call about the company’s third-quarter earnings.

In 2023, 60.6% of the shopping center’s space was leased, compared with 92% as of June 30, according to Regency’s financial reports online.

The property was not in good physical condition before the redevelopment began, said Anthony Suppa, manager of Frantoni's Pizzeria & Ristorante, which has been in the shopping center for 18 years.

"It was falling apart before the changes were made," he said, adding that the upgrades were a welcome improvement for the neighborhood, not just the shopping center.

By Tory N. Parrish

tory.parrish@newsday.comToryParrish1

Tory N. Parrish covers retail and small business for Newsday. She has worked at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Observer-Dispatch in Utica, N.Y.