Does mall have it all? A 1990's cultural oasis.

I live in West Nyack in Rockland County. At the present time, the Pyramid Corporation is building a 3.1 million square-foot mall. It has taken them more than a decade to secure the approvals necessary, but finally, to the dismay of some, they are proceeding. Whether their opponents like it or not, this mall will be a reality by next spring.

Pyramid's expansion of it's original concept to the second largest mall in the country has my community up in arms, and I can't blame them. Each side has valid arguments for and against expansion. And as the final vote gets closer, each side veers off on that great American tradition of over-exaggeration. But that is to be expected.

Similar battles are being fought between developers and local residents throughout the nation. Proponents of these developments say that increased taxes, jobs and shopping choice are at hand, while detractors speak about the closing of local businesses, increased traffic and the loss of tranquillity to their communities. How does one weigh these competing interests?

Less than two miles away from the proposed development we have a mall with Macy's, Stern's and Sears as anchors. Paramus' Route 17 is less than 30 minutes away, and Woodbury Common, an outlet mall, is equally distanced. So while half empty strips line every roadway, an edifice to commercialism is being built next to exit 12 of the Thruway. In fact, a completely empty shopping center is right across Route 59 from this monstrosity.

Why build the second largest mall in America in this heavily serviced area? The rational is it will bring people from far and wide to sample the abundance of stores, restaurants and 24 screen cineplex. Of course the stores will sell the same merchandise that is already offered in overabundant quantities. In fact, I have often heard people in the midst of rack upon rack of clothes comment there is nothing to buy. Shoppers will have several food courts to sample the cuisine from around the world and for those who wish a fine dining experience - probably a Houlihan's or Olive Garden. With 24 screens, they will be able to see the latest "Die Hard" film on 10 of them.

Is this what a day with the family has come to mean? Wading through endless corridors of merchandise, eating a Big Mac and watching 100 or more people die on the screen has become the ideal way to spend a Saturday afternoon? Sadly, Americans have adopted a culture that neglects art, music, literature and drama. Reading is supplanted by television, poetry by Rap lyrics and Mohere by Joe Esterhauz. We love to watch football or baseball played by the professionals, but when was the last time we threw a ball? Even the travails of a divorced mother are packaged in the form of Demi Moore stripping to earn enough money to keep her child.

As in most suburban communities, there is a dearth of rental housing in Rockland County. Is any built or even encouraged by our politicians? Sadly, no. So families and singles who don't have enough money for a down payment are forced to pay exorbitant rents in illegal two-family homes or rent condominiums not used by owners. The site of the "super mall" would have been ideal for several hundred apartments. Sure the local government would have had to give incentives to keep the prices affordable, but they have also given Pyramid incentives.

The construction jobs to build the mall would have still been there. When everything is said and done, how many new low-paying retail jobs will have to be created when balanced against those lost when other stores in the area are forced to close? Will we really collect more sales tax from this retailing haven to justify the increase in police and other municipal services?

Corruption is a strange thing. I don't mean corruption in the sense of kickbacks or bribery. Corruption of the spirit is what I am speaking of. A corruption so pervasive that the fabric which makes us a nation is sacrificed. Ideals become platitudes and disagreements degenerate into hatred. Idiocies are perpetuated, such as ending welfare, which will either make children starve or put the uneducated into non-existent jobs. Abortion is either the unequivocal killing of a human being or the absolute right of the woman to choose.

Corruption leads us to the building of a shopping Nirvana to the detriment of providing housing and real jobs to increase our overall standard of living. Our children learn from us that three million square feet of instant gratification is more important than a vibrant downtown, that Disneyland and the Seaport are reality and that the villages of EPCOT truly represent the nations of the world. Tower Records is the place to hear music instead of from a live orchestra; Barnes & Nobles is the equivalent of the Library of Alexandria.

(The author is a real estate consultant advising owners, co-ops and condominiums. To respond, write him at 21 West 46th Street, New York, NY 10036 or call 212-921-8043).