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Hempstead Residents Vow To Fight Proposal To Allow Mall Expansions

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - Plans to expand two of Long Island's bigger shopping malls are drawing the ire of nearby residents.

As WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs reported, new Hempstead Town zoning legislation that would allow both Roosevelt Field Mall and Green Acres Mall to expand is in the cross-hairs of local homeowners.

Jeff Gilbert lives within view of Roosevelt Field's main entrance.

Hempstead Residents Vow To Fight Proposal To Allow Mall Expansions

"You can't drive on Old Country Road or the Meadowbrook Parkway as it is and they want to expand it. It just shows that how owned our government is," he told Xirinachs.

Gilbert's neighbor Cathy Mahr said the expansion would crush what's left of suburban life.

"It's gone. We don't have that at all," she told Xirinachs. "It just brings in more people, more congestion. I grew up in the city. It's like being in Queens."

Residents told Xirinachs they promise to strongly oppose the mall expansion proposal at the public hearing on Tuesday.

Proponents of expansion argue it will not have a negative impact on the community.

Officials said the proposal seeks to implement uniform standards for the two regional shopping malls and any future shopping centers.

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