Patchogue Village: Revitalization Wave Still Building

For a change of pace no blogging about tax or governmental issues but instead I want to give Patchogue Village residents and others interested an overview of a different kind: the pace of revitalization in Patchogue Village.

Because I do attend every meeting of the Patchogue Village Board of Trustees and have done so now for some years it has been possible for me to see in its actions and reports the scope of what is yet to come.

And it is a lot. A lot more than people really imagine I think when you add it all up. I think many people at this point feel that the development that has already occurred is the high tide of revitalization. In fact there are probably a great many who are thinking that once New Village has filled its apartments by the end of this summer that the crest would have been reached. But that is not so not by a long shot.

In fact when you start to think about the list that is going to be filled in below what is clear is that for the next several years Patchogue Village will be going through constant changes and some kind of moratorium on growth to calm community issues surrounding issues like parking is far off, very far off.

Here is on what is the horizon broken down by approved, and speculative with both areas identified as such.

West Main Street vicinity

New Village

Ahead the complete occupation of the nearly 300 rental units at New Village by the end of the summer.  And all I can say about that is bring it on. No one is able to accurately predict the full impact of the full renting out of New Village, its effect on pedestrian traffic, parking and street traffic until it is done and that being the case whatever that impact better seen now at long last than continually guessed at.

Speculative: hard rumor that Tritec has already made arrangements for a new restaurant for the retail space that is also part of this project and has plans to turn Havens street into a restaurant row in time.  Well founded rumors have been circulating that Tritec is seeking to acquire more land in this area specifically the property currently owned and used by Brookhaven Memorial hospital, end purpose currently unknown.

Riverwalk:  if you haven’t noticed the next phase of this massive condo project has now begun. Ahead over the next year or so the complete build out of nearly two hundred condo units with unknown effects on road and pedestrian traffic and parking.

Carnegie Library: renovation of the building to full restoration and then future use as a library at a cost of 1.5 million dollars expected to begin within the next year. This is a library funded project.

Further south at the bottom of Rail Road Avenue: at Unity Place a new bus stop to allow for the removal of the bus stop at South Street. Cost of 250,000. County project and slated to occur this year.

East Main Street vicinity

Luan’s restaurant now defunct being replaced by Rumba Bar which will be appearing later this month before the Planning Board with its plan for the space. Part of that plan being roof top dining which if approved will make it the first business to actually take advantage of the new law allowing for this. On the horizon in terms of rooftop dining: Pera Bell, Public House, have also been mentioned as potential businesses that might want to take advantage of this option and if that trend gets momentum main street eateries will take on a different ambiance as a result: result will be a wave of this kind of additions to existing businesses.

Across the street Remember Yesteryear is leaving and allegedly is being looked as a commercial space by Johnny Rockets a hamburger eatery (if true still in progress)

The Patchogue Theater, as per Deputy Mayor Krieger at the last Trustee Board meeting this Monday, has a new 350,000 roof improving its look. And on the horizon perhaps a million and half of internal renovations has been the source of public wish list thinking. 

In the next year work on the five story assisted living facility Village Walk is expected to begin at Maple Avenue and main street. This is a multi-million dollar project that will take some time to complete considering its size and location. One thing for sure: it is going to be big. And more people on main street once occupied. 

A bit further down by the cleared space that used to be NAPA that space is being looked as a dorm/school extension by St. Joseph’s college which is planning on a new degree program in hospitality (details still being worked out).

And in the same area the village BID has been working on an extensive rebuild of the roller coaster sidewalk area that will resurface the entire sidewalk from about the Post Office, past and around Burlington’s, and swing around the NAPA building with period lighting and landscaping also to be part of that redesign and repair of that area.

In addition murals, more memorial benches and iron arches for several of the walkways in the immediate vicinity of the Theater and Library radically beautifying neglected walkway areas.

So. Ocean

Part of the old Jay’s space will be converted to a Pan Asian restaurant and the owner of that business has already paid into the new parking fee requirement that new businesses have to pay for future parking needs. Opening date: not known and no application yet in front of the Planning Board.

Old Town Hall: is in the process of being sold and once sold will become an office complex probably for medical office space. Cost: several million dollars with an occupancy date not yet set but probably longer than a year from now, again no application yet to the Planning Board.

Infrastructure: sewer pumping station to be replaced at the end of South Ocean Avenue with collateral sewer work on that street. (800,000 village bond approved for this). And as per the Mayor bonding for road repair of South Ocean also to occur in the future, probably this year.

Further south: Mascot dock is still awaiting a rebuild from storm damage. Once FEMA has approved a long overdue payment for past damage up to 1. 5 million dollar repair of the dock will begin.

Over all business area

The biggest possible and more probable than possible building projects for an area including both west and east main street will be the construction of surface parking lots that might include as well as a two story parking garage/outdoor concert venue at Church street and Rail Road Avenue with a “brackets” system of pedestrian walkways and organized traffic routing along with massive landscaping for the entire area. Minimal cost: 6.1 million dollars with a possible high range of 10 million dollars. Begin date: within two years if approved. This will be a village project if authorized perhaps as early as two or three months from now.

And in the meantime, as soon as the weather warms, various parking lots to be repaved, repainted and metered as the parking meter roll out really begins this summer. As what has already come just a taste of a new reality. 

River Avenue

Multi-million dollar sewer extension project to hook in entire south end neighborhood to the sewer district also probably including Dublin Deck and nearby Fair Field apartment complex, work to begin this year and continue for one year thereafter (village and county project).

Misc. projects: new tap room at Harbor Crab already completed, new outdoor area for 89 North rumored to come, new entrance and expansion of the Oar House already approved by the Planning Board, re-opening of On the Waterfront restaurant after its closing due to storm damage, expansion of Blue Pt Brewery, now newly acquired by the largest beer corporation in the world,  to include canning operation either at its present location on River Avenue or elsewhere in Patchogue Village, new headquarters for JVC broadcasting corporation on Waverly avenue (another multi-million dollar project) and last but not least: Fat Fish condo development and Marina on West Avenue all approved but not yet begun.

In sum the times they have been changing in Patchogue Village and are going to change even more in the next few years. And if anyone who reads this has better or more information than I have reported please comment.