The owners of New York Pizzeria, currently located in the Binghamton Plaza, will move to a new location following the city’s plan to demolish the plaza by March.

The pizzeria will be relocating to 71 Robinson St. from its current location on 33 West State St. The restaurant has been a cornerstone of the North Side for 25 years under the ownership of Fabrizio and Germano Michitti, who have established the spot as a community staple.

“We used to do the soccer teams in college,” said co-owner Fabrizio Michitti. “They come into town, they come in to eat, you know, they order pizzas and do take out and everything like that. And sometimes we do the hockey team, the Black Bears. Before that, we did the [Binghamton] Senators, we used to do the [Binghamton] Rangers. So, we used to do a lot of sporting events. Hopefully, in the new place that we have, we continue doing that.”

New York Pizzeria has catered to Binghamton University’s soccer team. It is one of several businesses in the Binghamton Plaza, including TTJR Oddities, Leather Corner Shoe Repair and a flea market open on weekends, that will need to relocate.

The relocation of these businesses comes after the city of Binghamton announced its plans to pursue an eminent domain case against the plaza’s owners, New Jersey-based Galesi Realty Corp., back in 2022. After a favorable unanimous ruling in June 2024 from the New York Appellate Court, the city plans to take possession of the plaza in March. The city was also awarded a $75,000 grant last August to help redevelop the plaza and is moving forward with predemolition work, according to a press release from Mayor Jared Kraham.

Binghamton is working with other businesses in the plaza to find new locations and outline next steps before the demolition. The owners of the pizzeria chose a new location east of the plaza, with the building previously home to the Court Jester Athletic Club and Shenanigan’s Restaurant.

“I think over there it’s gonna be plenty of parking for people,” said Michitti. “It’s right off the highway and on everything. It’s not too far from this location — it’s probably about half a mile from here, so it’s pretty close. And I think it’s gonna be a new place for the people.”

The city hired Colliers Engineering and Design, a local firm, for “environmental testing, demolition design and related engineering services at the site,” according to the mayor’s office. In collaboration with city government, Colliers will have to determine which portions of the site can be developed due to the plaza’s history as a brownfield, or an underused or abandoned piece of land where development poses environmental contamination risks.

MKSK, a planning firm based in Rochester, was selected to create a feasibility study and redevelopment plan for the plaza after its demolition. The contract with the city is still under review and will go to the Binghamton City Council later this month. In addition, the firm will lead community engagement efforts to gauge the opinions of residents, businesses and other stakeholders.

“This city’s got to move forward — I look at it from the city’s point of view,” Michitti said. “It’s got to be done, but you’ve got to give the businesses some time to move and find a new location, you’ve got to give some time to develop something new. It’s not gonna happen overnight.”