Patchogue zoning board closes hearing on contested mixed-use property at 78 Academy Street

PATCHOGUE, N.Y. — The Patchogue Zoning Board of Appeals closed the public hearing May 6 on an application to legalize an upstairs apartment and obtain variances for a multi‑use building at 76–86 (78) Academy Street, where a mix of businesses and storage units have been operating.

The applicant asked the board to allow an owner‑occupied second‑floor residence above a storefront that houses Big Cat Bikes, a recording studio and multiple storage units, and to grant relief from parking and setback requirements. The board closed public comment and moved the application to its decision calendar.

Why it matters: Neighbors and business operators told the board the site combines several uses — an electric‑bike showroom, an active motorcycle repair shop, storage units and a recording studio — and that legalizing the apartment could affect parking, noise and fire‑safety concerns tied to battery storage and proximity to repair operations.

The applicant’s attorney, Richard Cohen, told the board the applicant was seeking permission only for the upstairs apartment at this hearing and that other permitted uses (the electric‑bike showroom, two approved storage units and the recording studio) were already the…