Development Construction on Empire Outlets started in 2015. The original opening date for Empire Outlets was scheduled for fall 2017. However, in early 2017, the opening was delayed to March 2018 in order to coincide with the
New York Wheel's opening. Later that year, the mall's opening was delayed again to late 2018. By July 2018, the mall was mostly complete, and was projected to open that November. However, in September 2018, the mall's opening date was postponed again, this time to spring 2019. The mall's opening date was later set at May 15, 2019.
Operation Even though the grand opening was held on May 15, most retailers opened on a staggered schedule through mid-2019. By November 2019, there were thirty stores operating at Empire Outlets, and hundreds of thousands of visitors had traveled to the mall, with international tourists making up almost two-thirds of all spending at Empire Outlets. This, in turn, increased international spending on Staten Island by almost 50%. A 600-seat beer garden and a food market were expected to further increase visitation to Empire Outlets once they opened in early 2020, which they never did. By late 2020, Empire Outlets was struggling to make payments on loans. In February 2022, Empire Outlets went into foreclosure; it owed $38 million to Sterling National Bank and $174 million to Goldman Sachs' Urban Investment Group. Foreclosure proceedings continued through mid-2023, when Empire Outlets was still 60 percent vacant. In August 2023, a foreclosure auction for the complex was scheduled for that September. At the auction, which took place on September 21, 2023,
Goldman Sachs acquired Empire Outlets for $10 million. In late 2024, it was announced that Nordstrom Rack would be closing that December. To cater to local residents' needs, and because the Empire Outlets had been unsuccessful in attracting tourists, the
New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) began soliciting local residents' feedback for the Empire Outlets site in 2025. That November, the NYCEDC and City Councilmember
Kamillah Hanks announced plans for as many as 2,500 residents in the area, which would require rezoning Empire Outlets. ==Ferry dock==