Efforts are now underway to prevent a piece of property in St. James from being developed.

Gyrodyne Company announced plans in June to sell the 75-acre Flowerfield property off Route 25A to a developer.

The developer plans to build a hotel, medical offices and an assisted living facility. However, today civic leaders are urging Suffolk County to buy the land and preserve it as open space.

Opponents of the sale are worried about its impact, such as traffic, on the area. Suffolk Legislator Kara Hahn is proposing a bill for the county to buy the land for open space.

“We need to have a community discussion about what would make sense there,” says Cindy Smith, of the Greater Stony Brook Action Coalition.

The Saint James Community Association told News 12 Long Island in September that the development would be a significant financial boost for the area.

Multiple attempts to reach Gyrodyne for comment were unsuccessful but it says on its website that all its studies, including traffic, showed "no significant adverse findings."