While relatively affluent Riveralians will keep their distance from the new stores, which target middle- and low-income consumers, the malls could transform the character of Kingsbridge itself.

Professor Setha Low, who researches the anthropology of space and place at CUNY’s Graduate Center, said the new sites could bring a subtle form of gentrification to Kingsbridge.

“People in the lower and middle classes of New York are not living a very luxurious life,” she said. “Very small adjustments can change the economy of a neighborhood.”

“It’s always hard to completely predict, but malls in general, especially when they include big box stores, do tend to create a change,” she added.

Ms. Low went on to say the Broadway malls could have a ripple effect on the cost of renting a home in Kingsbridge, driving some residents out.

She added that large public spaces centered around stores, such as Westchester Square, make for “the kind of life that many of us think is important to a healthy and just city.”

The mall’s developers did not answer requests for access to the sites. Rumors suggest Broadway Plaza will include a Starbucks that could open onto a wide sidewalk off of Broadway itself. But the amenity seemed to fall short of Ms. Low’s ideals.

“If the idea in New York is we’re trying to create a more just city, I think we have to stop for a minute and think about what three malls will do about the entire ecology of the neighborhood,” she said, grouping River Plaza on West 225th Street with the nearby Broadway malls.

While Riverdalians and experts might be skeptical of the new sites, Kingsbridge residents seem to welcome the influx of shopping options.

“I’m just looking forward to it,” said Janet Armagon, 53. “I think a lot of people from the Kingsbridge area would come up here.”