I respect your role as a journalist to express your opinions each and every week when you put your fingers to the keyboard.

In your piece, you have attempted to marginalize the opposition to the mall by identifying it as a “ small but fierce( thank you for that) knot of neighborhood opponents” that have succeeded ( and we will continue to) in scuttling a privately financed project

To help clarify what the “small” or correctly named , Cerro Wire Coalition, consists of you could have better described us as : a well established , informed, well-oiled organization made up of 32 Civic Associations that includes business groups, the Nassau County Council of Chambers, the Syosset School District, the Jericho District and the Syosset Fire District , just to name a few.

For years, the Cerro Wire Coalition and it’s subcommittee, the Alternate Development Committee has proposed options to the Taubman Company’s mall project. These plans have included a purchase of the property, so Taubman can walk away with their heads held high and with a profit and a joint venture partnership with Taubman in the development of a smart growth concept. This project would include a combination of next generation housing , so desperately needed on Long Island, senior housing, hotel or office and a small retail component. Please let me add a note that we understand The Taubman Company owns the property and it is their choice to decide if it wants to be a “good neighbor” and work with the community on something it supports or continue to advocate for something it overwhelmingly does not want.

Whatever gets built there will produce jobs and new tax revenues and can settle the debate, which by the way is not a debate since there is only one opinion here, NO MALL HERE!

Additionally, you state in your piece that the New York State Court of Appeals overturned the Town of Oyster Bay decision, not correct.

With a little research you’ll find that the New York State Appellate Division overturned the original decision and at a future date the New York State Court of Appeals, the State’s highest court, upheld that position.

Do a little more digging and you’ll find how the Taubman Company is trying to highjack the local decision making process by putting pressure on the Governor’s office with strong lobbying efforts and influence. With the so called support from the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council and the Long Island Regional Planning Council (which still has not been decided) and other lobbying efforts it is always about a mall………….. not jobs and revenue.

Maybe your next article should suggest to Bill Taubman how he should have discussions with the groups that will be most affected, not the muscle that will continue to try and shove this ill-conceived project down the throats of the community and the Town of Oyster Bay.

History repeats itself and we remain confident that in the end, the matter will be settled once and for all…………………The project will be rejected.

Thank you for [The Sunday Column-Ellis Henican} …………….you always have something interesting to say!

Sincerely,
Todd Fabricant
Chairman
Cerro Wire Coalition