Dear Neighbors,
As a 30 year resident of Deer Park, I feel the need to take some form of action in response to the recent meetings regarding the construction of a Tanger Outlet Center in our town.
You may already know that the largest open-air outlet center of its kind in the
country is proposed to be built on the current EDO or AIL site behind Kohl's,
Home Depot and Stop n Shop at the intersection of Grand Boulevard and Commack
Road. In addition to the outlet, a BJ's Wholesale Club, a 3000 seat movie theater,
two large chain restaurants, and a fueling station are also planned to be built
on the site.
My purpose is not to poison residents against this project. I have no objections
to shopping, fine dining, or a night of entertainment at the movies, but I, and
hundreds of other residents, have serious concerns about the increased traffic
volume that a center of this magnitude will undoubtedly cause.
If you did attend the town meeting(s) at the local halls or the Town of Babylon
Planning Board meeting on March 14, you have a good idea about just how much
additional traffic will be introduced into this town. The following is a traffic
study estimate taken from the report that the Tanger traffic engineers have on
file at the Deer Park Library. The entire Tanger Outlet proposal is also available
at the library for public review.
Weekday AM Peak Hour 521 trips per hour
Weekday PM Peak Hour 1,722 trips per hour
Saturday Peak Hour 3,140 trips per hour
You will notice two things about these estimates; first, there are no allowances
for Sunday traffic. (This is a shopping center and as we all know, Sunday is
a major shopping day.) Second, these numbers do not include the holiday season
(November-January) or a back-to-school shopping time.
The people who are proposing this project and the traffic engineers who came
up with these questionable traffic estimates, do not live here. As of this moment
no one has any solution to this impending traffic and safety nightmare. This
is our town, we live here, many of our families have lived here for generations.
We know Deer Park from top to bottom, the shortcuts, the back roads and the heavy
traffic intersections. Obviously, the only way to this site is through secondary,
partly residential roads.
Just think for a moment about the other major shopping venues that exist on
Long Island:
-The Tanger Outlets are directly off the Long Island Expressway
-The Smithaven Mall is between Rt. 347 and Middle Country Road
-The South Shore and Sunrise Malls are directly on Sunrise Highway
-The Walt Whitman Mall is on Rt. 110 and Jericho Turnpike
Now think about the traffic conditions in these areas on weekends or during the
holiday season. In addition to this proposal, the OTB shopping center between
Nicolls Road and Long Island Avenue is in the works to become the future site
of a new large chain drug store, strip mall, and another fueling station.
The bottom line is this- There is no single road large enough to handle a shopping
center of this scale in this town. Stop for a moment and think about all the
routes that lead to the intersection of Grand Boulevard and Commack Road. Anyone
of us can come up with scores of potential traffic tie ups that could occur.
Something as simple as the train crossing gates coming down can stop traffic
dead
. Now add over three thousand cars to the tie up.
-Is an increase in construction and retail jobs a positive thing? - Yes
-Are increased revenues and stable taxes attractive to all? - Yes
-Can our town afford to become the shopping hub of the lesser New York area?
-
You decide-
When you make a decision write your comments and concerns in a letter to:
Patricia McMahon
Planning and Development Chairperson
200 East Sunrise Highway
Lindenhurst, NY 11757
This plan is not a "done deal" as many people I speak to seem to think.
It is in the preliminary stages with the Town of Babylon and the developers are
depending on your silence. I am encouraging you as a fellow resident of our town
to speak up now. The deadline for official public statements has been extended
to April 18th, 2005. The only proof that our roads can not handle this enormous
traffic burden will come after the outlet center is constructed and by then it
will be far too late.
Thank you for taking a moment out of your busy day to read this letter.
Sincerely,
Stacey Barbieri
Deer Park Resident