by Tiffany Razzano
Molloy recently kicked off its capital campaign as it raises funds for its proposed first-ever residence hall, which would house 150 students, and a 65,000 square foot Public Square, which would include a student center, art gallery, 550-seat theater and multimedia center.
Residents on both sides of Hempstead Ave., in both Rockville Centre and South Hempstead, are concerned the development will only exacerbate an already dire traffic and parking problem in the area. Residents say that because of Molloy's growth over the years, Hempstead Ave., and its side streets, have seen traffic volume grow considerably, making the streets unsafe for residents to walk and causing many accidents. Also, many locals complain that Molloy students utilize their side streets for parking.
"I don't think it's a good thing for the neighborhood," said a resident of Reeve Rd. in Rockville Centre, who wished to remain anonymous. "It will only make the area more crowded. Now, it's a nice private area, but [the campus expansion] will commercialize it. There will be more cars running around. I don't think it's a good thing at all. It's just going to cause more traffic and more congestion."
"The major problem is the traffic," said Marc Goldstein, an active member of the South Hempstead Civic Association. "With the increases in Molloy's enrollment, the traffic has really grown dramatically. When I moved in, [22 years ago,] they were a college of about 1,200 students. Now, they have like 3,000. So obviously, increased traffic is a problem." He said that his main concern, like many residents, is for the children who walk to Covert Elementary School.
Goldstein said the civic association has come up with a plan that could alleviate some of the traffic, but it was complicated because it would need the cooperation of several entities, namely Molloy, Mercy Medical Center and the Archdiocese of Rockville Centre. There is an access road that ends at Molloy's property, but it is owned by Mercy and the Archdiocese. Goldstein said that this road could be extended and utilized as an entrance/exit to Molloy, putting students through to North Village Ave., giving them immediate access to the Southern State parkway.
As for how traffic will be affected, Molloy is currently reviewing the traffic flow from Hempstead Ave. to the campus, as well as how traffic leaves the campus onto Hempstead Ave., and how traffic flows on campus. The school is also reviewing the different routes students take to school from different areas.
"We have met continuously with our neighbors over the last three years to find solutions to traffic concerns," said Ed Thompson, vice president for advancement at Molloy. "We have worked with the local police precinct to support enforcement of traffic regulations. We have regularly communicated to our students our expectation that they respect the residential nature of our surrounding communities by adhering to traffic regulations."
Like many residents, Goldstein is also extremely concerned about the parking situation. He feels that the college's plan to shift parking to the outskirts of the campus will only cause more students to park on side streets off Hempstead Ave. close to the school's main buildings. Like many residents, he is upset about Molloy's request for a parking variance for their proposed Public Square. "They are asking for a variance so they can build less parking spaces than Rockville Centre requires," he said. "They're trying to tell the Zoning Boards that because the building is a theater that won't be occupied all the time, they shouldn't have to build parking spaces for the square footage of the theater... While they acknowledge there is a parking problem, they want to build less parking spaces. They say they want to work with South Hempstead to make it a nice, happy community, but the variance doesn't seem to be the way to go about it."
He added, "We understand their need to expand. We're not against their expansion plans, but they need to be prudent in solving some of these problems before they expand. Parking, traffic, an increase in nuisance noise, they all need to be dealt with as they come up. Parking and traffic problems have existed for a long time. Once they expand, how are they going to fix the problems? It needs to be addressed now."
"The College requested a variance to have less parking than required by the Building Code of the Village of Rockville Centre," said Thompson. "While there will be less parking than the code requires, our building plans provide more parking spaces than there currently are. The reason that the college requested the variance is because, according to the code, the number of parking spaces is dictated by the square footage of the building. The building in question, called the Public Square, is now planned at 65,000 square feet. However, much of that space is dedicated to be used as a gathering space for our current student population. Another portion of it, a state of the art theatre, would mainly be used at times when school is not in session. Thus, we don't require all of the additional spaces required by the building code and have requested a variance to this effect."
Thompson said the college has added 237 parking spaces in the last three years and has modified class schedules to more evenly balance the number of students on campus at one time.
Mayor Eugene Murray said that while he doesn't know much about the proposed expansion yet, residents shouldn't worry. "I know many people are waiting for the public hearings," he said. "I just want them to know that nothing will ever be railroaded in. Everything goes before the Planning Board and every one will get a chance to speak."
Students, however, are excited about the changes that might be made to their campus.
Theresa Space, a member of the Molloy women's soccer team who currently resides in Baldwin, said she's surprised the school doesn't already have a residence hall. "Dorms would really help," she said. "The coaches would get a lot more recruits... If the school gets a lot more things, and expand for the better, then students will have more opportunities to come here for."
Kristen Byrne, who commutes from her home in Floral Park to Molloy, feels the dormitory will actually help the current parking situation. "Definitely, the parking situation is bad," she said. "It's so small, so tiny. Having 150 students living on campus would help the parking. Also, the school would attract students from further out on Long Island and places like New Jersey."
Molloy student, Carolyn Dreyer, also from Floral Park, is more excited about the prospect of a new theater. "Right now we have a small, little theater," she said. "If we have a bigger, better theater, then we can have better artists and events."
Dreyer isn't the only one excited about the proposed theater, which Dr. Drew Bogner, Molloy's president, hopes will not only serve as a link between Molloy and the community, but will anchor Molloy as the cultural center of Nassau's south shore.
Beth Bergman Fisher, a board member of the Rockville Centre Guild for the Arts, is extremely excited about the Public Square. "I understand [the concerns of the residents in that area,] but as a member of the board for the Guild, and supporter of the symphony," she said, "I'm very glad for it. I believe the South Shore Symphony might become the orchestra there and that would be a very good thing for the community."
Ed Oppenheimer, member of the Planning Board, declined to comment because the case is currently before the board. Trustees Jeanne Farnan Mulry, Andrew Karamouzis, Suzanne Murphy Sullivan and Wayne Lipton did not respond to phone calls and emails from the Herald.
