Town of Huntington eyes plan to build mega-mall in Elwood

A 56-acre mall bigger than the Nassau Coliseum property could be coming to Elwood. 
A heavily wooded site north of Jericho Turnpike and east of Manor Road could soon be developed into an $80 million shopping mall with retail stores, offices and parking lots.
Opponents of the proposed mall say it is not needed since it would be less than 3 miles from the existing Walt Whitman mall.
"It's dangerous, it's bad for the environment and it's bad for open space, which is one of the reasons I chose to make Huntington my home," says Laura DiGrande.



Neighbor Mark Blaustein says that if the mall goes in, it will create a traffic nightmare.
"The capacity of cars now on Jericho is going to create a new 'Queens Boulevard' to us," he says.
Marc Herbst, of the LI Contractors Association, says the project will boost the economy.



"The construction creates jobs," says Herbst. "The traffic is going to be what is primarily going to be what already is there, so it's a win for the community."
Villadom president Kris Torkan released a statement saying Jericho Turnpike is equipped to handle the traffic impact.
Suffolk County has already granted the project $18 million in tax breaks. A public hearing on the proposed mall is scheduled for June 22.