Over the past few years residents of Syosset and Jericho have been battling the proposed mall construction on the Cerro Wire Property in Syosset. At a recent public hearing, which was attended by approximately 200 people, residents were given the opportunity to express their opinions and concerns regarding the development of the property. The Town Environmental Review Board hearing took place only to listen to comments and gave no formal response. Residents have until Feb. 16 to make their opinions known to the town, either verbally or in writing, according to Howard Avrutine, Birchwood Civic Association (BCA) attorney and Jericho resident. After this time, the town board will begin to review the proposed property development.

The Michigan-based Taubman Co. plans to build a million square foot shopping mall with three anchor stores, 150 specialty stores and between a three-and five-tiered deck parking facility to accommodate 4,800 cars on the 39 acre site. Jericho's BCA has been the biggest adversary of this type of development for the property, stating that it would have a severe negative impact on the quality of life for residents in the area.

"By law you are mandated to have a public hearing," said Gary Lewi, spokesperson for Taubman Co. and a resident of Syosset. "We have had easily a dozen meetings with the community on this issue held on the site, in the homes and in conference rooms. As far as us communicating with the community in regard to our intent and the scope of the project, our track record is quite clear."

Taubman submitted a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) outlining the proposed construction. According to the BCA, the DEIS utilizes town land, without consent, in the plans. "Many feel that the current DEIS should be thrown out and resubmitted without the use of public land," said Avrutine.

"That document is very thorough and addresses a number of different issues," said Lewi. "It is a draft document that allows people to comment on it and allows us to address those comments and we will do so as this process moves forward."

The DEIS submitted by Taubman calls for the extension of Gordon Drive South from Jericho Turnpike, as well as construction of a new perimeter road running parallel to Gordon, all on town property. The purpose of these two roadways is to help disperse traffic by offering additional entrances and exits for drivers. The traffic has been a main concern of residents.

Without the two new stretches of road, Taubman would only be able to place entrances and exits along Robbins Lane and the service road of the Long Island Expressway, according to the BCA.

"There is a legal question over town land," said Avrutine. "The town property that is used in the current plan basically belongs to the people."

"There is a distraction that has been purposely put forward to suggest that the economic recycling of the property cannot go forward unless there is town property for a road," said Lewi. "That is not the case. There are many different viable transportation alternatives in order to ensure that this site works with traffic. There are a number of different options that have been designed by traffic professionals."

When questioned regarding the BCA's accusation that there was no plan contained in the DEIS that didn't incorporate town land, Lewi responded, "If you are looking at one particular type of transportation alternative, that would be accurate. I cannot answer the question, if there is currently a plan that does not incorporate town land. That is an answer for a traffic engineer who has studied this project for years. There are any number of different types of alternatives that can be used. We are obviously looking at some of the most progressive."

At the hearing, many members of the community expressed concerns that the proposed mall would destroy the community's quality of life and have a negative impact on the environment.

The Syosset Chamber of Commerce has voiced their opposition to the mall. "The board of director's opinion is that we are not in favor of this mall," said Chamber President Frank Urso. "We feel that it would be detrimental to the small-business owners that surround the mall area and we are for small-business owners. We are here to build business, but it is a catch 22. We have stores coming in that would like to get involved with the chamber, but at the same time it would be taking a lot of business away and it was the opinion of the board that is the direction that we are going in. We are supporting all of the small businesses."

The BCA is not against building on this property entirely. They are opposed to the building of a mega-mall. "The BCA feels that this land is perfect for offices, headquarters or a major corporation," said Avrutine. "There would be some morning and afternoon rush hour traffic, but minimal traffic on the weekends or evenings in comparison to the proposed mall." This area is currently zoned for industrial use. "The BCA is not against everything. The mall is just too big and there is not enough room for the parking that this proposed mall will need," said Avrutine. Other malls in the area, that are the same or close in size to this proposed mall, have twice the amount of parking space, according to the BCA.

A traffic expert for the BCA analyzed the roads surrounding the site for the proposed mall.

"According to the data that was used in the report, the mall would make traffic 35 percent worse and it already received a failing grade," said Avrutine.

At the meeting, a concerned member of the community said that in order to go to the Roosevelt Field Mall from the Meadowbrook Parkway, there is so much congestion that people who want to continue down the parkway have to move over to the far left lane not to get stuck in the mall traffic.

There would be a similar situation in Syosset and Jericho if this mall were to be built, according to the BCA. "People tend to try and find a back way into malls when the traffic becomes so great," said Avrutine. "People will try and cut through the residential areas to get to the mall and this is a main concern for residents."

According to Avrutine, malls tend to be built in areas that are not yet fully developed. "In 1956, the Roosevelt Field Mall was built and the community developed around it," said Avrutine. "This area is fully developed already."

There is a landfill adjacent to the site of the proposed mall which the BCA states could cause some environmental problems. The plans as they are laid out in the DEIS, will disrupt the landfill cap when the roads are being built. Methane vents are there to release the poisonous gas out of the landfill and they would be adjacent to the road leading to the proposed mall, according to the BCA.

Paul Streb, a retired civil engineer who was employed by Nassau County for over 30 years, voluntarily wrote a letter expressing his concerns on a personal and professional level. His letter states "There is a grave safety problem because of trains and the railroad. The trains are moving at speeds of 60 to 80 MPH and the mall is adjacent to the tracks. There are two proposed traffic signals near the tracks and there is the chance that traffic would back up causing some people to stop their cars on the tracks causing a huge concern. There are also many pedestrians and bikers that would be using this mall, mostly children, who would have to cross the tracks. Also I do not know of another shopping center near the railroad tracks like this one would be."

"Most of the people around here are against this," said Urso. "We just don't need it."

Residents are reminded that they have until Feb. 16 to contact the town with their opinions regarding the proposed mall construction.