Erie Canal Centre — Attraction in Town of De Witt

This is the old Kmart plaza which was all but closed down with the closing of this Kmart. It looks like the developer has managed to breathe new life into the plaza by getting Dick's Sporting Goods to move out of the shoppingtown Mall and into this open parking strip mall. Of course this is the trend for box stores since people have lost the desire for the shopping mall experience prefering to just be able pull in front of a place where they want to get their stuff. The developer has also managed to land Burlington Coat Factory and, if the signs are accurate, it looks like Michael's is going to move from down the street into the center spot. It looks like the developer has a monopoly.

I think it's a bit presumptuous to have named this strip plaza/mall the Erie Canal Center being that the remnants of the old Erie Canal is it good two strip mall developments to the west by the Best Buy. There was no attempt to incorporate this bit of historic artifact into the redevelopment of the plaza.

What I dislike about the retail shopping development in and around this area is that its development was so hap hazardous, with almost no foresight by the Town of DeWitt Planning Board, that what has ended up here is multiply layers of storefront strip development line up parallel starting at Erie Blvd all facing the Boulevard and all with there parking in front. Do I appreciate the Erie Canal Centre's attempt to put pedestrian sidewalks out front by Erie Boulevard leading back to the stores, yet, these sidewalks to go nowhere since there are no other sidewalks on Erie Boulevard. In fact the lack of side walks on the Boulevard is quite the hazard for people who are working in this area but have to walk back to the city.

Because of the poor planning in this area, there was no consideration for pedestrian or bike traffic even though there is plenty of residential housing within biking and walking distance and workers need to walk from the city so that can get to the retail jobs of this nearby suburb. Of course this is a suburb that was based on the idea that the only time anyone would walk would be from the front door to the car. But the bad planning in this area doesn't even properly address vehicle traffic properly. It's all really sad and if you took an aerial look from Google satellite view you would see what a mishmash this area is. I think area, including the so called Erie Canal Centre, could been redesigned to incorporate the old Erie Canal especially because a section of the Erie Canal Towpath Park is but a few blocks from the area. Maybe some better foresight will someday prevail on the planning board for the Town of DeWitt and this area will develop into something that's a bit more aesthetically appealing, community-oriented and...

They carry a large variety of clothing, shoes,and outerwear for women, men, children & infants. They also have home decor, area rugs, furniture, bed & bath, giftware, baby furniture & accessories, pet supplies. This review was for Burlington. This was in the transition period when Burlington and Rock's Sporting Goods were open. There was confusion with addresses and it was not clear. I did not see any real estate office. They were still seeking a new tenant , which became Michael's New Location. The confusion was with addresses and the name for BURLINGTON, as I stated and you verified, ( No longer...

Went there on a field trip with my granddaughters class. They do a great tour! We actually did a boat ride down the Erie Canal. It was a chilly day and much to my surprise and gratitude they provided us with a poncho blanket. The volunteers dress like they would have from years ago. Each section of the site had it's own volunteer explaining what it was like living, working and using the canal back then. The museum has wonderful original pieces from that time and questions are welcomed. They explain many of what the pieces are and how they impacted people's lives. It was a great experience and I...