Patchogue board approves zone change to allow proposed Hilton Tempo hotel at 138 West Avenue

The Village of Patchogue Board of Trustees on Jan. 13 took three related actions to advance a proposed hotel at 138 West Avenue: trustees designated the board as lead agency for environmental review, adopted a negative declaration under state environmental review rules for the change-of-zone application and approved a change of zone from E Industrial to hotel district for the property.

The vote followed a staff summary of the application’s procedural history. Mr. Regan, who explained the sequence for the record, said the application has a lengthy history of public hearings: the planning board first held a hearing in February 2024 and recommended approval on Feb. 9, 2024; the village board held a public hearing on May 13, 2024 and by resolution on July 8, 2024 denied the change of zone “for reasons set forth in that resolution” including questions about proof of application items and a long-term operations agreement. The applicant revised the application, submitted a long-term operator agreement with Hilton Tempo and reduced several elements of the proposal.

Key changes and county review According to the summary presented to trustees, the revised proposal reduced the building from six stories to five, lowered the number of hotel rooms from 119 to 96, and decreased the number of apartments from 16 to 13; the rooftop dining/lounge area was also reduced and set back further from Division Street. Mr. Regan said the application was referred to the Suffolk County Planning Commission under General Municipal Law 239-m; the commission issued resolution ZSR-25-04 (included in the trustees’ packet) endorsing the zone change unanimously and forwarding 12 comments for the planning-board site-plan review.

Mr. Regan summarized the board’s action at the meeting: “This resolution tonight only changes the zone from E to hotel. The applicant then has to proceed through site plan before our planning board, and that will address ... stormwater, egress, and other site conditions,” he said.

What happens next With the change of zone approved, the applicant must submit and obtain site-plan approval from the village planning board; that review will include additional public hearings and will address concerns listed in the county review, including stormwater management and egress. Mr. Regan and trustees noted the change of zone itself does not authorize construction; the site-plan submission may require additional permits and could trigger a zoning-board variance for a small area if necessary.

Background and timeline (as presented to the board) - 02/09/2024: Planning board recommended approval to the village board. - 05/13/2024: Village board public hearing on the change of zone. - 07/08/2024: Village board denied the change of zone (board resolution cited application deficiencies and long-term operating agreement concerns). - Applicant revised the application and provided a long-term agreement with Hilton Tempo; reduced height and unit counts. - 10/28/2024 and 11/12/2024: Subsequent village hearings; record closed and application referred to Suffolk County Planning Commission (GML 239-m). - Suffolk County Planning Commission hearing (Jan. 2025): issued resolution ZSR-25-04, unanimously recommending approval with 12 comments for the planning-board site plan review.

Ending: Trustees approved the three procedural resolutions on Jan. 13 to clear the way for site-plan review. The planning board will schedule public hearings on the site plan and the planning-board record will address the county’s 12 comments.