Opponents of the proposed mall on the former Cerro Wire property in Syosset recently commissioned a study, which found that a recently unveiled alternate development concept would provide greater long-term economic benefits than the planned mall.

The study was prepared for the Birchwood Civic Association and Cerro Wire Coalition by Long Island economist Martin Cantor and director of the Long Island Economic and Social Policy Institute at Dowling College who used data contained in the developer's original proposal to build an 860,000 square foot mall and compared it to the alternate development plan that calls for a smart-growth, mixed-use development of condo-styled housing, a Marriott hotel and a small component of office and retail for the 39-acre site.

"For more than 13 years since this ill-fated project was first proposed by the Taubman Company, the community has been saying that it was against the mall but favored sensible development," said Todd Fabricant, a director of the Birchwood Civic Association and chairman of the Cerro Wire Coalition. "Throughout the process, the developer has continually touted the economic benefits the mall would bring as its main argument for building the mall. Now, we have introduced a viable alternate development plan that not only is more compatible with the surrounding neighborhood but is better economically as well."

Cantor said, "Overall, my findings support the alternate development concept as a greater long-term economic benefit than the mall. I also like the idea that the project would provide an element of affordably priced senior and next generation housing, something that is sorely needed on Long Island, particularly in Nassau County."

While Cantor's analysis shows an initial overall economic benefit of $675 million for the mall versus $477 million for the alternate development concept, the study shows that there is nearly $87 million in additional annual permanent economic activity that would be generated by the alternate development project over and beyond what would be produced by the mall. This additional economic activity would result from spending by new residents and hotel guests, which, unlike the mall, will directly benefit Nassau County and Town of Oyster Bay merchants, Cantor said.

"That means within three years following a build-out, the alternate development plan would surpass the local economic contributions of the mall, and after that would make the net gain even greater with each passing year," Cantor noted.

Gary Lewi, a spokesman for the Taubman Company, who owns the 39-acre property and has maintained that they have no plans to build anything but a mall on the property, stated, “I have worked with Marty Cantor for years and have the highest personal respect for him. Among the things I have always admired is his staunch advocacy on behalf of his client’s position, which, of course, this document, reflects. I look forward to seeing Marty shop at the mall once it is completed as he has always complained about the lack of genuine upscale retail competition in the region.”

The proposed alternate development project would be a joint venture between Florida-based Lennar Corporation, the third largest homebuilder in America, and Roseland Property Company of New Jersey, one of the premier developers of luxury apartments in the Northeast and a firm that has a successful track record of turning fallow land into productive use.

"We've asked the Taubman Company to come to the table and discuss our alternate development project and they have refused to do so," Fabricant said. "The time has come for Taubman to stop trying to shove its mall project down the throats of the town and the community and instead work with us to build an alternate development project that will benefit both Taubman and the community and would allow this land to finally be put to good use."

Fabricant, who has already called upon the construction unions to give serious consideration to the alternate development concept, repeated a similar message.

"In light of these findings prepared by Mr. Cantor, the unions can rest assured that the alternate development project would create thousands of jobs and generate almost $200 million in construction wages. Rather than waiting like they have been for more than 13 years in hopes that the mall would be approved, they can get behind a project that makes more sense," Fabricant said.

The decade-plus battle over the mall has grown to include 27 civic, business, educational and community groups representing more than 40,000 Town of Oyster Bay homeowners and 6,000 small businesses.

The fate of the proposed mall has been in the courts since the Oyster Bay Town Board voted down Taubman's application in June 2001. Late last month, the Town of Oyster Bay responded to a court order and issued a 34-page document providing specific details that led to the town's denial of the application.