Mall road project stymied

The town of Watertown's best leverage in convincing Pyramid Co. to help build an east-west connector road between the Salmon Run Mall and Wal-Mart vanished Monday, leaving Jefferson County officials and one nearby developer fuming.

Pyramid, which reportedly has refused to enter talks about the road, received approval Monday from the Watertown Planning Board to expand its mall by 124,000 square feet.

County Legislators Robert A. Boice, R-Rutland, and Scott A. Gray, R-Watertown, and P.J. Simao, an Alexandria Bay developer who owns land between Wal-Mart and the mall, all said Wednesday that they were told by town officials approval would not be granted until Pyramid agreed to ease traffic congestion by helping to build the road.

"Somewhere between (Town Supervisor) Joel Bartlett and the town Planning Board, that was lost," said Mr. Gray.

Mr. Bartlett, who said in March that he was organizing negotiations, declined to comment Wednesday.

Mr. Simao said he agreed to donate land for the construction of north-south Route 202, which connects routes 3 and 12F near Sam's Club, with the understanding that the east-west connector road also would be built. The developer said Mr. Bartlett assured him, as recently as two weeks ago, that negotiations would occur.

"I guess I kind of feel sandbagged," the developer said Thursday. "I would have never ever, ever given the land to Route 202. I am in consultation with my attorneys to find out if I have any recourse."

The developer said the town's decision to let Pyramid proceed with the expansion without helping with a connector road "certainly changes the way I am looking at things out on the new County Route 202 and out near the Industrial Park entrance."

Mr. Simao said he's been asked by the town for easements for future water lines near Route 202. The town Fire Department, he said, wants him to donate space so that a new station can be built along Route 202.

The developer had agreed to demolish the Griff's Citgo at Route 12F and Fisher Road so that the county could realign an entrance into its corporate park. Since Mr. Simao considered that realignment in the "three-part deal" that was supposed to include Route 202 and the east-west road, that could delay the demolition.

Planning Board members have previously said they had no jurisdiction over Mr. Simao's land between the mall and Wal-Mart. As part of the approval, the board required Pyramid to build a road to the western edge of its property.

"We refer to it as the stub road," said Mr. Gray, of Pyramid's road. "It does nothing."

Mr. Boice said he didn't know what recourse, if any, the county had to delay or block an expansion, but he said the lack of the east-west road posed "a health, safety and welfare" issue for motorists.

Donald R. Canfield, county planning director, said the county Planning Board did review the mall expansion in 2005, but has no authority to trump local zoning actions.

"We make recommendations about certain zoning acts," he said. "But ultimately the locality always has the ability to override that recommendation."

County officials thought the state Department of Transportation may intervene. Michael R. Flick, DOT spokesman, said his agency advocated for the east-west road as a way to mitigate traffic on Route 3.

Mr. Flick said the DOT had "limited authority" since the proposed connector would join two private developments and did not require a break in access on a state highway.

"We're pretty much limited to being an advocate," he said.

If negotiations were to resume, Mr. Gray said he wanted the county to take a bigger role. But with the expansion approved, the legislator acknowledged "there's no incentive for Pyramid to come to the table."