Strip mall going up on Route 25A
But limited access to parking lot has locals worried about safety
0 comments below
The skeleton of a new strip mall went up last week at Kohl's shopping center in Rocky Point, and some community members are concerned the store's only access is from Route 25A.
Six 1,200-square-foot stores will fill the space.
Pirraglia Realty of Rocky Point, the company that owns the property, received a building permit from the town in November, Brookhaven Town officials said.
"We originally heard it was going to be a restaurant, but now we know there will be several individual stores," said Pat Adamko of the Rocky Point Civic Association. She said it's been a few years since the property owners last approached the civic group.
There hasn't been a determination of which stores, if any, have signed leases with Pirraglia, which could not be reached for comment.
As for potential safety issues, according to Route 25A Corridor Study data presented recently, there were 83 crashes at the Hallock Road and Route 25A intersection -- including six pedestrian and bicyclist injuries as well as two fatal accidents -- between 2006 and 2009. Kohl's shopping center is located at the southwest corner of the intersection.
The only access into the strip mall's parking lot is from Route 25A because Kohl's lease denies access agreements that would have allowed strip mall customers to drive through the Kohl's parking lot, said Cary Staller of Staller Associates, which owns Kohl's shopping center. "We're prohibited from doing that because of our lease with Kohl's," he said.
Civic group member Marshal Schwartz said the group's land-use committee has been coming up with ideas to reconfigure the intersection. Community members have said they want curb cuts reduced and improved access between parking lots. Some have even floated the idea of a roundabout at Hallock Road.
"We want to improve access management, but this will add another curb cut," Mr. Schwartz said. "Having an entrance and exit only on Route 25A will increase a higher possibility of accidents."
Local residents have also said businesses should refurbish current buildings as opposed to building new ones.
The former Taco Bell CVS buildings near the intersection, as well as The Cotton Market in Kohl's shopping center, remain vacant.
Mr. Staller said he's close to leasing the former Frank's Nursery building but is waiting on town approval and permits.
jennifer@northshoresun.com
The North Shore Sun is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. The North Shore Sun does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not The North Shore Sun. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Service and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.
0 comments found
