Kelly Development’s 30‑unit riverfront plan draws strong resident objections at Patchogue planning board

Kelly Development and its design team presented a site plan for a 30‑unit, two‑bedroom apartment building with accessory marina slips and a small riverfront pocket park at West Avenue and Mulford/Milford Street. The applicants said each unit will be roughly 1,250 square feet, the building will share parking with an existing marina and the project has previously received a special permit and zoning variances for height and parking.

Mike Kelly, owner of Kelly Builders and Development Group, said the design reflects multiple revisions after prior hearings and engineers’ reviews and emphasized stormwater controls and a planned riverwalk connection: “we took all that into account to come up with something that one can get built, two that I can put my name on and stand behind it.” He and counsel Larry Davis told the board the project team expects 12–15 months of construction and that marina slips would be managed by a property management company rather than individually sublet.

Neighbors at the public hearing urged caution. Emily Montgomery said the plan would add to already heavy local rental development and “will negatively impact our village as a whole and further diminish the quality of life for homeowners who have invested in their properties.” Neil Starkman cited county staff material on flood vulnerability and said the site lies in an area that county staff described as at high risk of surge inundation.

Applicants and some board members responded that the project is being designed to meet the village’s FEMA‑based flood standards, and that county planning recommendations are advisory. The record before the board includes prior county review, the applicant’s drainage and filtration proposals, and engineering responses the applicants said are available in the public file.

Action and next steps: after extended testimony and technical questioning about parking calculations, boat‑slip management, soil testing and public access signage for the pocket park, the board voted to close the public hearing and hold the application for decision at a subsequent meeting. No final site‑plan approval was granted at the hearing.