Developer eyes The Heartland Town Square

THE VISION

As developer Jerry Wolkoff gazes at the expanse of the former Pilgrim Psychiatric Center, his eyes don't focus on the few medical buildings still standing, or the grassy fields delineated by piles of demolition rubble.

What Wolkoff sees on the 476 acres in Brentwood is his proposed $4-billion Heartland Town Square, a dense and vibrant downtown. Pointing to a tree-lined access road that would become the Main Street of his community, Wolkoff said, "You'll have apartments on both sides where people are walking, and very few cars but lots of bicycles. This will be the plaza with fountains, and on either side will be retail. Over here is an office building. Over there is a movie house."

With 15,000 to 18,000 young people and empty nesters living in more than 9,000 mostly rental apartments and 5.3 million square feet of offices, retail and entertainment facilities, Heartland would be the largest of the new downtown projects proposed in the country.

"The model is Manhattan," Wolkoff said. "It's important for us to keep our young people here on Long Island and give them an exciting place where they can walk to entertainment."

Wolkoff said the residents would live in buildings as high as 20 stories, adding he could compromise on the height but not the density. "Density makes this work," he said. It gives Heartland the critical mass to make the place lively day and night and pay for amenities like an ice-skating rink.

Said Eric Alexander, director of Vision Long Island, a not-for-profit planning organization: "The density is not a problem. In fact we need it."

OBSTACLES

"A heavy-use concept like this is clearly appropriate for the site," Islip Supervisor Phil Nolan said. "The question is how heavy and . . . he's got to pony up more money" than the $25 million offered for road improvements to handle increased traffic. But Nolan said the town has not determined how much more money it needs for such improvements.

There may be objections from environmentalists. Richard Amper, executive director of the Long Island Pine Barrens Society, called the project "anything but smart growth. It would create higher density than Queens in a state-designated special groundwater protection area."

Perhaps the biggest hurdle is the rezoning required. The site is now zoned residential for up to 450 homes, but Wolkoff needs zoning for a planned development district. He also needs a building permit, and approval of the site plan and environmental impact statement after rezoning. The county and state must also OK traffic plans.

As for the $4 billion, he says he has been negotiating with financial backers and says the money "is close to being in place."

PROGRESS

Town and developer have agreed that the project would be built in three phases to better gauge the impact on traffic and sewage treatment. If the problems exceed his projections, Wolkoff said the town could veto the later phases.

The town says the latest revision of the plans did not fully address traffic and environmental issues. Officials are waiting for an update before holding another public hearing.