In March 2005, a long-awaited Target store opened in Mount Kisco, attracting shoppers from throughout the area. The mega-retailer's arrival was met with mixed emotions from village residents, who welcomed the convenience of having the store nearby but also worried about the traffic it would generate. Congestion is a nettlesome issue for Mount Kisco. Although it's a small community, the population doubles during the day as commuters, shoppers and employees at local businesses travel through the village. People who come to Mount Kisco's downtown will notice some familiar businesses on South Moger Avenue, such as the Gap, Banana Republic and Chico's. Over on Main Street is a Borders book store and On the One, a women's clothing store. The South Moger corridor has seen a string of merchants close their shops in recent years, and business owners have cited high rents or landlord issues as the reason they fled their storefronts. Some of the vacant spots have been filled. Village residents have bemoaned the loss of 17 Main, a local jazz club and restaurant that left its spot at Main and South Moger Avenue in July 2005. Just after 17 Main closed, a new Indian restaurant called A Passage to India announced it was moving into the storefront. Nearby at Kirby Plaza, a restoration project has renovated a moribund plaza of cracked flagstone and replaced it with a new courtyard complete with benches and a 16-foot ornamental clock. Mount Kisco only covers about 3 square miles, and there isn't much open space left in the village. Mount Kisco officials have been mulling what to do with the former Swiss Benevolent property, a 52-acre wooded hill that rests between Kisco Avenue and Emery Street. The property is the last big parcel of open land in Mount Kisco. Residents looking for some recreation can head to Leonard Park, where a tea house overlooks a small pond. The housing stock includes Colonial and Victorian homes in Captain Merritt's Hill in northwest Mount Kisco, and condominiums at the Tara Close community off Carpenter Avenue. Northern Westchester Hospital, Mount Kisco's largest employer, has opened a new neonatal intensive care unit and a new cancer treatment and wellness center in recent years. Up the road from the hospital, across from Leonard Park off Route 172, is Woodcrest, an affordable condominium community for seniors. By SEAN GORMAN THE JOURNAL NEWS (Original publication: October 30, 2005)