Focus East Patchogue: Plaza Theatre Ideas

This letter was contributed by Focus East Patchogue to Patch by Tom Berger and was originally published on Focus East Patchogue's website.

Our next meeting will be in May. There are so many social and school functions this month that many would not be able to attend. Meetings or no meetings, life goes on and the need to bring more retail business onto our Main Street still remains to be the challenge for all of us.

If you have received the latest edition of the LI Advance then you know that the Town of Brookhaven is near completion in the purchase of the Plaza Theatre Property. Mr. Robert Frost, who is the owner of the adjoining property in which the SC Health Center is located, has shown an interest in purchasing the Plaza property.  We had mentioned this before at several of our meetings that the community needs to help the potential buyer as to what they want and do not want on that property.

Focus has always wanted different and unique retail shops to compliment our area and draw more customers to shop all of Main Street. Mr. Frost desires to construct a Medical Center where medical services beside the SC Health Center would locate. He would like to have SC remain as one of his tenants.

You may recall, over three years ago we attended a public Suffolk County Legislative meeting where we addressed all the legislators about relocating the Health Center. The County lease was in consideration of renewal and we wanted a deal between Focus, Mr. Frost and the County regarding the future of the Health Center on Main Street. It was agreed, and Legislator Jack Eddington helped the negotiations, that the County would renew for another five years, but that during that time they would seek a new location for the Health Center. We did not want Mr. Frost to lose the lease and have another vacant building on Main Street.  Our road was under construction and we were hoping that after completion that more investors would come forward. The Plaza was still standing and soon is too would be gone.

So you have a picture of the time and now here we are three plus years later and Main Street still remains an expensive clay ready to be formed into something of beauty if the right buildings and improvements are constructed. The Health Center has been at this located for many years. The County is having its own financial problems and looking to make cuts and consolidate. Small business entrepreneures are not so eager to open up a business and the current old buildings are not inviting or attractive to encourage new investors.

What can be part of our solution? The Town must ease up on all nonsense in obtaining building permits. This should be conditional that attractive and modern looking retail space be built. We need to seek merchants and companies that will be willing to locate if this space is available to them and at a reasonable rent where they can earn a living. There is more to this but the idea is to encourage and generate business. The New Four Corners will offer new retail. They too are seeking investors and merchants. You cannot take a wait and see attitude because the cost to all will go up fired by greed.

This is a suggestion to get ideas flowing. One idea leads to another and soon you establish a good working idea easily made into a plan which can then be developed.
What is sure is that we need something to bring people to this hub of Main Street. Just as the Patchogue Theatre has created the need for a variety of restaurants, so the East portion of Main needs something. We originally looked toward a Media Arts Center but for many reasons it did not succeed.

Do you think an expanded Medical Center would bring business to the East portion of our Main Street? The existing SC Health Center has not generated much business in all the years it has been at that location.  Patchogue has developed a central location for medical services by the Brookhaven Hospital. How many of us visit doctors located on Route 101 (Sills Road)? There are dozens of medical services there as well as the Brookhaven Healthcare Facility for Rehab and Nursing Home. There is still vacant land there. The newest Medical Center, located across from the Hospital, has vacant office space. How much more medical can Patchogue absorb?  Why not locate the SC Health Center where many existing healthcare services already exist and where public transportation has already been established?

On the other hand, what will happen on Main Street?  Mr. Frost has already come into some hard time with the total damage to his building on Main Street and Rider, the old Auto Parts (or Sears) building. 

We want the best of all worlds and why shouldn't we think that way? We want investors coming to Patchogue and making money. As residents, we want the convenience of stores nearby that offer the goods and services we need or want.  The community needs to support our local merchants and likewise the property owner needs to be selective and rent to those merchants who will bring a diverse offering of product and services.

I repeat, I present all this to you, the community, so that you may come to the table with ideas, suggestions and possible solutions. Obviously we do not need more laundromats, pizza shops, hair salons, Chinese take outs, etc. We want to add business not put other merchants out of business with unreasonable competition.
May we leave you with one last thought? I travel to Babylon Village to visit my mom. Main Street in Babylon is always busy. The community supports its merchants and there is a variety of merchant services which draws the public. In any direction, you can travel two or more miles and visit the larger shopping centers and malls, yet the Village Merchants hold their own and keep business flowing. This should be the goal of our Patchogue Main Street from the west end of the Village to the east end of Patchogue. It will take time and cooperation but we can do it if we work and not give up.

It is up to all of the community to speak out to the Town Board and Planning Dept.  What do you want to see on Main Street? Let them know. We can be a voice for you but you need to speak out also. Use emails and comments on the Town web site. Write letters and make phone calls, but speak out. If I were an elected official, how would I know what the public wants if the public never spoke to me? We have a listening and cooperative group of elected officials in our area and they would love to hear from you. We receive many emails with comments about issues and we do our best to pass them on.

Enjoy the sunny spring weather. God Bless.