Bring Lowe's To Douglaston, Local Group Says

DOUGLASTON, QUEENS -- One local group is rallying support for a new Lowe's Home Improvement Center ahead of a community board vote on the big-box store's plans to take over Macy's old space in the Douglaston Plaza Shopping Center.

Community Board 11 is slated to vote on Lowe's plans to replace the now-shuttered Macy's inside the Douglaston mall at its upcoming monthly meeting. A group of residents who live nearby, who call themselves "The Douglaston Coalition for the Betterment of the Douglaston Plaza Shopping Center," sent out flyers and emails encouraging members to show up at the meeting and voice their support.

"Lowe's is a much needed addition to the crumbling mess that is now Douglaston Plaza," the flyer read.

The group said that while the shopping center boasts a number of great stores - such as Fairway, Toys R Us and MovieWorld - it has become "like a ghost town" since Macy's closed in April. They hope adding a big-name store like Lowe's will help revive it.

"We're in favor of them coming," Rosemarie Guidice, a member of the coalition, told Patch. "They're a very community-oriented organization."

Representatives from Lowe's did not immediately return calls for comment, but Guidice said the big-box chain promised to bring around 150 jobs to the community and help with local restoration projects.

"They have these community projects, where each store is given a certain amount of dollars to do certain things in the community area," she said.

Guidice said she already has some fixer-uppers in mind, like a nearby pond on Douglaston Parkway, and liked the idea of a store that's "willing to work alongside the community board to get these things done."

The coalition also hopes Lowe's will recreate an "appealing atmosphere" within the shopping center that members said was lost with Macy's exit. In their note, the coalition said they were "concerned for the future of the shopping center" with the shuttering of so many big department stores.

While some say such big chains take away from local businesses, Guidice said she believes the opposite is true.

"The reality of life is that big retail stores like Macy's are few and far between," she said. "This is a great anchor to bring in other small businesses into the mall."

Community Board 11 will meet at M.S. 158 Marie Curie Middle School on Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. to cast their vote.

Lead photo via Toby Talbot/Associated Press.