Patchogue greenlights Hilton hotel at former bowling alley site

A new Hilton-branded hotel has been officially cleared for construction in Patchogue — and village leaders say it could be the final piece in the South Shore community’s decades-long revitalization puzzle.

Patchogue Village’s planning board on Tuesday night unanimously approved the site plan for a four-story hotel complex at 138 West Ave., the former site of Bowl Long Island. The new development, to be built adjacent to the Watch Hill Ferry terminal and within walking distance of the LIRR station, will feature 96 rooms, a rooftop restaurant and 13 apartments.

The hotel is being developed by West Avenue Partners LLC and will be operated under the Hilton Tempo brand, which markets itself as offering upscale accommodations with a modern design. The project has been under review for more than a year and has received extensive public feedback, particularly around traffic impacts and parking availability.

“This is a transformative project for Patchogue,” said Mayor Paul Pontieri, who has long championed the hotel plan. The mayor has even joked in recent months that the project’s approval may very well be his final achievement before retiring.

More broadly, the hotel’s approval marks an important milestone for the South Shore, which has been starving for more quality hospitality options for decades. Visitors attending weddings and concerts in the area — or Fire Island excursions — have historically needed to stay 20 to 30 minutes away.

The planning board’s stamp of approval came with 27 specific conditions designed to mitigate community concerns and ensure compliance with village codes. Among them: the submission of a traffic improvement plan for West Avenue and Division Street, capped occupancies for event spaces, parking arrangements with the nearby LIRR station, and requirements for security, lighting and stormwater control.

Members of the planning board emphasized that the conditions reflected months of review and negotiation with the developers.

In a January decision, the village approved a zoning change for the 1.5-acre parcel, moving it from industrial to hotel use. That move paved the way for the formal site plan approval issued Tuesday.

Construction could begin as soon as all conditions are met and permits are secured.

27 conditions of approval for Patchogue’s Hilton hotel

1. Submit a traffic plan addressing congestion at Division Street and West Avenue, especially during railroad crossings.
2. Include a left-turn signal and lane at the southbound approach to Division Street on West Avenue.
3. Reach a written agreement with the village for use of LIRR parking spaces.
4. Obtain a rooftop dining permit per village code.
5. File a restrictive covenant with the Suffolk County clerk limiting the project to 13 apartments.
6. Land bank 13 parking spaces, to be made available if deemed necessary.
7. Ensure all exterior lighting is dark sky compliant.
8. Install sprinklers for all landscaped areas and follow the submitted landscape plan.
9. Comply with FEMA and village floodplain regulations.
10. Use cement and steel for the hotel’s shell structure.
11. Meet with the village tree committee and comply with its recommendations.
12. Submit a security plan approved by the building inspector, including video surveillance and card access.
13. Install Knox boxes with keys for EMS and fire access.
14. Submit a dumpster plan approved by the building inspector.
15. Elevators must be EMS stretcher-compliant with fire override.
16. Submit drainage plan confirmation from the building inspector.
17. Submit demolition plan confirmation from the building inspector, addressing runoff and dust.
18. Provide a sidewalk and lighting plan for West Avenue and Division Street.
19. Specify parking lot surface materials, subject to inspector approval.
20. Install fire/EMS radio equipment, standpipes, and sprinklers to fire marshal and inspector standards.
21. Install a generator capable of powering emergency systems.
22. Meeting room occupancy capped at 30 people.
23. Event space occupancy capped between 100–120 people.
24. Submit a pest and dust control plan for approval.
25. If agreement is reached with the federal government for the adjoining recharge basin, applicant shall maintain it as a public park.
26. Obtain all necessary permits from relevant government bodies.
27. No construction vehicles allowed to park on Amity Street.

_{Top photos: Main, artist rendering proving by JM2 Architecture. Inset, courtesy of Hilton.}

Prior coverage

Traffic concerns linger as developers share Patchogue hotel update

Patchogue hotel plan secures crucial zoning change; will move forward

For more background, see Greater Long Island’s previous coverage of the zoning change and concerns about traffic.