A proposed Amazon delivery station on the site of the shuttered Sunrise Mall in the Massapequa area of Long Island will have to wait at least another month for a decision, after a widespread Microsoft outage interfered with a public hearing on the project.
The Town of Oyster Bay Planning Advisory Board had been expected to weigh the project's site plan Thursday night. Because the Outlook disruption meant some residents' emailed comments never reached town officials, the six board members present voted to defer the decision to their Dec. 10 meeting, according to a report by Newsday.
What Amazon Wants to Build
Amazon plans a 153,393-square-foot warehouse and delivery station on part of 27.1 acres it intends to buy at the northern end of the mall property. The plan also includes a 4,950-square-foot fleet service center.
The site would serve as a last-mile facility, where packages are sorted before the final leg of delivery to customers. It would operate around the clock, seven days a week, and the vacant mall would be demolished before construction starts.
Amazon is under contract to purchase the acreage, out of the 77-acre mall property, for $75.9 million from Sunrise Mall Holdings LLC. The deal depends on the facility securing approvals from the town and other government agencies.
Residents Voice Strong Opposition
Roughly 50 people attended the three-hour hearing, and most of the 18 speakers came out against the project. Their concerns included tractor-trailer noise and air pollution, heavier traffic and the potential for falling property values.
Several opponents drew applause. East Massapequa resident Rachel Dinowitz summed up the mood by saying, "We have no reason to start to look like Queens."
Amazon Says Traffic Impact Will Be Limited
Representatives for Amazon, the project's law and engineering firms, and Sunrise Mall Holdings argued that studies found little to no added impact on traffic, noise or the environment compared with the mall's busiest years.
Brad Griggs, Amazon's director of economic development for the Northeast, said the public often misjudges how much traffic large Amazon facilities generate, and that activity outside the site would be minimal for most of the day. He compared the project to Amazon's Syosset facility, which opened in 2022, though the Massapequa site would be smaller.
According to company documents, tractor-trailer deliveries would cluster between midnight and 5 a.m., averaging about 30 per night. Electric vans run by third-party delivery operators would leave in waves of about 60 every 20 to 30 minutes between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The peak hour, 9 to 10 p.m., would see 330 two-way trips, mostly employee vehicles.
Jobs and Timeline
Griggs said the site would employ about 100 warehouse workers, most on overnight shifts.
If approved, construction would take 13 months, with Amazon aiming to open in time for the 2028 holiday season. After site plan approval, Sunrise Mall Holdings would seek demolition permits, followed by site work and building permit applications, according to town spokeswoman Marta Kane.
A Mall's Long Decline
Opened in 1973, the 1.2 million-square-foot Sunrise Mall was once a busy retail destination but lost tenants over the last decade as online shopping grew, with the pandemic adding further strain. Sunrise Mall Holdings, a joint venture, bought the struggling property in 2020.
The land sits in Oyster Bay's light industrial district but has operated under a special-use permit granted in the 1970s. The developer filed the Amazon plans with the town in November 2025 under the name Project Alba.
What the Delay Signals
The Sunrise Mall proposal reflects a broader pattern: retail properties emptied by e-commerce are being redeveloped to serve e-commerce logistics. Last-mile facilities are central to fast delivery, but they increasingly face pushback from nearby residents worried about trucks and congestion.
The outage-driven postponement also shows how technical failures can ripple into local governance. For Amazon and the developer, the December vote now determines whether the project stays on track for a 2028 opening.
Source: Newsday
