Possible Mall Expansion Not Yet A Done Deal

Before residents of Garden City's eastern section gather the troops, the proposed Roosevelt Field Mall expansion is not yet a done deal.

"There are no approvals yet," Town of Hempstead press secretary Susan Trenkle-Pokalsky told Patch this week. "The application is still under review."

Simon Property Group, the owner of Roosevelt Field Mall, eagerly announced the project March 1, stating that Neiman Marcus would make its Long Island debut at the E. Garden City-based mall.

The luxury department store is intended to serve as a centerpiece of a proposed 100,000-square foot addition that could possibly open in 2015. Renovations, if the project gets the green light, are to begin in 2013.

The project will be privately funded and financed, according to the Simon Property Group, and is expected to create more than 2,800 construction jobs, as well as hundreds of new retail and service positions, while contributing more than $1 billion in combined sales and property tax revenues.

"We are very excited about opening our first full line Neiman Marcus store on Long Island...," said David Simon, chairman and chief executive officer of Simon Property Group.

"Our entry into Roosevelt Field provides Neiman Marcus with a wonderful alternative to serve our loyal Long Island customer base," added Wayne Hussey, sernio vice president of development for the Neiman Marcus Group.

County Executive Ed Mangano said the expansion is "great news" for the local economy and will help create "thousands of new private-sector jobs and attract visitors and their dollars to Nassau County."

Those in Garden City, however, remain cautious. A subcommittee out of the Eastern Property Owners' Association (EPOA) is keeping a close eye. Dorothy Episcopia, speaking on behalf of Christine Mullaney, who chairs the Committee to Monitor Outside Development, noted that on Jan. 17 the mall had a "little luncheon for people from Garden City to go over their proposed redevelopment of Roosevelt Field and yes, another little expansion."

Several members of the village board, including Mayor Don Brudie and Trustee Dennis Donnelly, Garden City Chamber of Commerce members Althea Robinson and John Wilton, who also serves as chair of the village's Merchants Committee, village administrator Robert Schoelle, village counsel Gary Fishberg and building superintendent Mike Filippon all attended the luncheon.

"Personally having worked on Roosevelt Field before want to thank Mr. Fishberg and Mr. Filippon in particular for the outstanding job they did of asking very on-point questions of these people..." Episcopia said.

She added that other developments, including the Hub, are also being watched. "Nobody is saying nothing should be done with the Hub," Episcopia said, "but it can't be to the destruction of the surrounding communities and especially the stakeholders like Garden City and now Mineola."

Although Garden City Chamber of Commerce members are "reserving comment" at this time, chamber executive director Althea Robinson did tell Patch that the chamber's executive committee and board of directors are "currently discussing the possible impact this major mall expansion will have on the Village of Garden City and its downtown."

Back in 2001, the village fought Simon Properties' application to the Town of Hempstead Board of Zoning Appeals to expand the mall even further beyond the allowable Floor Area Ratio (FAR). This application came two years after the board of appeals denied Simon's last attempt to expand.