Ex-Cerro Wire site in Syosset begins environmental review process

Oyster Bay has begun the environmental review process for a mixed-use development at the former Cerro Wire site and formerly town-owned property in Syosset.

The review of the project on the 92.8-acre site is expected to last one to two years, the town disclosed in financial documents in January.

The developer calls the project Syosset Park, which has been described as “a walking village that meets the demands of the 21st century . . . with passive and active amenities for all age groups.”

The proposal to build on the site calls for the town to create a new zoning designation called “planned unit development/mixed use” that would permit a mix of commercial and residential buildings. Overall, that would include 200,000 square feet of office space, 329,000 square feet of shops, 110 single family homes, 515 units of multifamily housing, two hotels, parking garages, theaters and a park.

The developer — a company formed by Indiana-based Simon Property Group, Manhasset-based Castagna Realty and Garden City-based Albanese Development Corp. — expects to break ground on the project next year, according to its application filed with the town in August. The developer expects to complete the build-out in 2024.

At a Feb. 23 town board meeting, Councilman Anthony Macagnone asked the developers to go beyond legally required notifications to the public about upcoming hearings.

“I live a quarter-mile away from the property and I’ve heard nothing of this,” Macagnone said at the meeting. “We’re in the dark.”

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John Gutleber, president and chief executive of Castagna, said at the meeting, “We’ll work with the town to notify the residents in an appropriate way.”

Laura Schulz, president of Residents for a More Beautiful Syosset, a civic organization, said in an interview that the environmental impact statement needs to include a study on the project’s impact on the nearby Syosset Long Island Rail Road station.

“That’s important because this is a mega project . . . and you’re going to put this right down in the Syosset community and you’re going to impact the Syosset community’s quality of life,” Schulz said.

The developer bought the land from mall developer Taubman Centers and from the town. The town sold its 54-acre public works complex and former landfill on that site to the developer for $32.5 million after a 2013 referendum.

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The purchase price for the Taubman property, a former Superfund site, which included an exchange of stock and assumption of debt, was at least $58 million, according to property records.

The developer’s proposal includes an approximately 30-acre park that would be built over the former town landfill. Restrictive covenants prohibit puncturing the cap or building on or near the landfill without permission of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the town.

The town’s sale of its property means the 113,484-square-foot Department of Public Works complex on the site needs to be relocated. The complex includes an animal shelter and several departments.

In July 2014, the town board approved $375,000 for Bohemia-based Nassau Suffolk Engineering & Architecture to create a feasibility study for the relocation of the town’s facilities. In December the board approved an additional $90,000 for the study.

Town spokeswoman Marta Kane did not respond last week to a question about whether that study has been completed.

“It’s too early in the process to give any estimates” as to cost, Kane said.