Residents Q&A on the Four Corners at Community Meeting

A public Q&A section with Patchogue Village Mayor Pontieri, the village trustees and TRITEC Real Estate Company’s Chief Operating Officer Robert Loscalzo took place during Wednesday’s at the on the future of the Four Corners. Several issues discussed were how parking would be handled during construction, the emphasis on residential versus retail in the development and whether there were any alternatives to . Below are some questions residents raised during the meeting

Q: How will parking be handled during the construction?

Loscalzo: There will be temporary parking areas on the bowling alley site and then we will open up the back parking and we will have that sectioned off for safety purposes and to the Brick House.

Q: What is the status of these approvals?

Pontieri: We have a vote coming up on January 24.

Q: Why couldn’t a bed and breakfast go in?

Loscalzo: It wouldn’t fit into the feasibility of the project based on how the numbers work.

Q: How come the Wedgewood building was able to be renovated separately from Four Corners but nothing else can be built separately?

Loscalzo: Good question. The difference is that there was existing tenancy in the [31 West] building, and those leases extended to 2020, so we respected it. It was all or nothing. Either everyone was going to move, but we wanted to keep them in place, so we had no choice and we had to renovate properly. It turned out only two tenants remained, and they wanted out of their lease.

Q: Is there a way to continue building the other aspects of the project and address the Four Corners for later?

Loscalzo: Reality is that this isn’t going to get done unless the rest gets done at the same time. Lenders want to know what’s going into that corner, the last thing they want to see is a half built hotel. We want to make sure there’s certainty on that corner.

Q: Any background on current vacant apartments in Patchogue?

Loscalzo: They are 97% occupied.

Q: How much money would go to the school district?

Loscalzo: About $1.8 million.

Q: What sort of zoning laws will be put in place that will assure that this 20 years down the road won’t become very low income or Section 8 housing and that TRITEC maintains the building?

Deputy Mayor Stephen McGiff: I have trepidations. What about in five years when he sells it? It’s 290 rental units in the epicenter of Patchogue. We wanted a hotel, and maybe could (have a hotel) in two or three years, but this will have ramifications on our grandchildren’s grandchildren. There are no do-overs on this. I argue for patience and I know Rob and his team, but Patchogue comes first. And we brought eminent domain proceedings against the owner [of Sweezy’s] and take that seriously for a greater good and for 290 rental units. I don’t have a crystal ball, but I know as an attorney, when these people go in we can zone it and do all kinds of things.

Q: What impact does the Clare Rose housing have, because those are going to be owned and operated by Clare Rose?

Loscalzo: Yes; different product type and market. Those are owner occupied versus rentals.

Q: With two big housing projects coming, is West Avenue closing?

Pontieri: West Avenue is almost traffic neutral. Clare Rose had trucks and 180 employees everyday, so now their project is traffic neutral if not traffic positive based on that impact.

Q: A concern is parking. Will it be like Maple Avenue where the number of parking spaces has exceeded hours in the streets?

Pontieri: We had a meeting with the Business Improvement District (BID) and when you do a zoning, where it becomes our issue, we’ve begun to look at and it’s absolutely an issue.

Q: What alternatives have been considered for the property?

Pontieri: I don’t know if waiting here for 10 years is what we want to do and that’s what I wrestle with. I don’t know whether we can wait and that’s where I struggle. You hear the issue of rentals versus home ownership. I was disappointed as everyone else [regarding the hotel] but what are the alternatives? The alternative is wait and hope someone else comes in with $100 million.

Q: Will this become a community center or will it be more of a gated fortress?
Loscalzo: It’s what we envision; Havens Avenue and the Village Green is all public access. We envision it to be very lively. We tossed around the concept in the Four Corners building to take one apartment and have it for guests of the residents, so if someone came from out of town they could have an apartment, but there are ideas being thrown around. There are courtyards designated, but the outside public areas would be lively with street traffic.

Trustee Jack Krieger: I think if we all had a crystal ball it would be a lot easier to see what will happen in the next 10 years.  It’s a real struggle to be here as one of the people that will have to make that decision but I do fear the future sometimes.

Trustee Joseph Keyes: I know from the beginning of this that I remember hearing concerns over a hotel. The truth is that we don’t know what’s going to happen one way or another. We don’t really know and all of us are really super concerned about it and we have all lost a lot of sleep on it. I know that I will lay in bed hoping that we did the right thing.