As the Flushing Commons project moves through the proper channels after receiving Community Board 7’s conditional approval earlier this month, small businesses in the area want to make sure their not-so-little concerns are heard.

The Flushing Business Improvement District and Union Street Merchants Association teamed up on Monday morning to voice their opposition to how the proposed development of Municipal Lot 1 in Flushing has been handled thus far.

"Something doesn’t add up,” said Flushing BID Chairman James Gerson, “and I guess the biggest issue that concerns us is that these negotiations and this change to the plan took place without any community input whatsoever."

Gerson proposed a resolution that calls for the original 2,000 public parking spots and permanently capped parking rates that were agreed upon while now-comptroller John Liu was still representing the district in the City Council. He said the Flushing BID is working with a consultant to determine the breadth of the economic impact that the project will have on local merchants.

According to Gerson, there is a letter from the deputy mayor that says there will be $2 million in “business assistance” for affected businesses, but there’s no plan on how that money will be distributed nor any analysis of whether that amount is even sufficient.

The resolution also demands a contingency plan at a time when many projects around the city and around the country are being stalled as a result of the uncertain economic climate.

“The only thing worse than a dead project is a hole in the ground,” said Gerson. “It’s not unreasonable to expect that the city provide some contingency plan so that we don’t get stuck with a hole in the ground and so far the issue has not been addressed at all."

In the case that no contingency plan exists, said Gerson, the Flushing BID will provide one.

Pointing out that the project includes a proposed 760 residential units, 250,000 square feet of retail space and 230,000 square feet of commercial space, Gerson suspects 2,000 spaces may not even be enough, but at this point the resolution is just asking the city to keep its original promises.

“If the parking isn’t there, we could very well see is a decline in the business in Flushing and equally important a decline possibly in the economy of New York City," said Gerson, pointing out that customers may opt to go to New Jersey or Long Island for the ethnic restaurants and products that make Flushing a destination.

Daniel Kung, co-president of the Union Street Merchants Association, said that survival of the 100-plus merchants on Union Street hinges on the proper development of Muni Lot 1.

"We already went through the financial crisis. We’re in the process of recovering and now it’s another situation coming,” said Kung. “I feel like a tsunami is coming to Flushing."