Village board delays vote on Patchogue hotel zoning application
The project would create the first hotel in the South Shore village if approved.
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The Patchogue Village Board of Trustees decided to delay a vote on rezoning a property to allow for the construction of a five-story hotel until after the Suffolk County Planning Commission weighs in.
The board made the decision during a meeting Tuesday evening when the hotel developers presented changes to their proposal after October’s public hearing on the project.
For the first time, developers presented renderings of a plan to bring a community park next to the proposed hotel.
"That's actually a recharge basin that we're going to redevelop,” said James Manicone, one of the project architects. “That is going to be a park, an open area for the community to come [to]."
Karen Turnquist, of Patchogue, says she lives right around the corner from where the hotel would be on 138 West Ave.
"They brought it down one story and that made me happy, but it doesn't resolve a lot of the issues,” she said.
Turnquist and other residents say they feel their concerns about noise, congestion, overdevelopment and parking have not been properly addressed. They also worry about how this hotel could impact nearby homes.
"I just don’t think it’s the right place for it,” said Turnquist. "Leave that on Main Street. Stop bringing it further into the residential area and that's what I feel like is happening."
Claire Siegel said she’s one of five generations to have lived in Patchogue. The former teacher worries how the hotel could change the landscape of the village.
"I do not think that this monster hotel is something that the village should have," she said. "Patchogue was a nice little town for residents. It shouldn't be overburdened with something like this. Not in this spot."
The Board of Trustees passed a motion allowing for the developers to present a plan to the Suffolk County Planning Commission.
The Suffolk County Planning Commission would then give recommendations about the project to the village board in the next month or so.
The village board would most likely vote on rezoning the property in the new year before the village planning and zoning boards would consider the final project proposals.
