Concerns stall $80M mall plan for Mount Sinai

A Medford developer's plan to bring an $80 million, 30-acre mall to Mount Sinai has been stalled by concerns over the project's potential impact on the environment and local retailers.

Paul Elliott, president of Soundview Realty, envisions the Mount Sinai Village Centre as a mix of retail businesses, restaurants and office space rising near Crystal Brook Hollow Road. The project would include a village green and clock tower, Elliott has said.

But the Brookhaven Town Board must first approve the project, and the councilwoman who represents the area wants the board to act on a proposed environmental plan before it signs off on the mall.

The environmental plan -- part of a town study of the Route 25A corridor -- would likely include stricter standards on land use to which the proposed mall would need to adhere, Councilwoman Jane Bonner said. She also expressed concerns that the mall could cause the area to "exceed the retail capacity we need," which she said could hurt locally owned businesses.

"In an effort to prevent the corridor from turning into Jericho Turnpike or Hempstead Turnpike, it's in the best interest of the town and the residents" that the town consider the Route 25A corridor plan first, she said. The study was undertaken to deal with the proliferation of strip centers along the road, traffic congestion and impacts on local business, the environment and overall aesthetics.

The town board is unlikely to vote on the Route 25A plan before December, Bonner said. That could make it nearly impossible for the board to approve the 228,000-square-foot Mount Sinai mall this year.

But Brookhaven Supervisor Mark Lesko said the town could move forward on the mall plan sooner. He cited a June public hearing at which Elliott showed a willingness to scale back the plan after some residents criticized it as too large.

At the hearing, Elliott agreed to downsize the major "anchor store" in the mall from 90,000 square feet to 75,000, expand a buffer between the property and nearby residences by 30 feet, and increase the amount of preservation land from 13 percent to 20 percent of the site.

"It seems like the applicant was willing to accommodate everyone's concerns," Lesko said.

The Suffolk County Planning Commission must also weigh in on the mall proposal before the town can approve it.

Attempts to reach Elliott were not successful. He told the town board during the June public hearing that the project would "bring the community together."