Village board approves zoning change for Patchogue hotel

The Patchogue Village Board of Trustees on Monday approved a change of zone for the Tempo by Hilton hotel planned for the former site of a bowling alley at 138 West Avenue.

The board voted to change the designation for the 2.19 acre site from E industrial to the village’s floating hotel zone. It follows a vote by the Suffolk County Planning Commission last Wednesday not to oppose the zoning change, Newsday reported.

The hotel has the backing of Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri but faces strong opposition from residents who packed several meetings, including a public hearing on Nov. 12,  to raise issues about traffic, parking and stormwater and concerns about noise from a planned rooftop restaurant.

Developer West Avenue Partners still needs to go before the Village Planning Board for site plan approval.

West Avenue Partners tweaked the look of the building to give it a more nautical feel and scaled back the size to five stories with a total of 96 guest rooms and 13 apartments with a restaurant and spa on the top floor. The original plans were for a six-story building with 118 rooms and 16 apartments.

The plans also call for a manicured, outdoor area that would be open to the public.

In other news:

The Board of Trustees on Monday voted to issue a bond for up to $1.14 million to pay for upgrades to one of the softball fields at the Waldbauer Field Complex. The village plans to hire The Landtek Group of Bay Shore to replace the grass infield of the “90-foot field” with turf and make other improvements, including adding lights and fences.

Joseph Keyes, the village’s Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, previously told the Long Island Advance that he hopes the renovations can be completed by the spring.

The board also voted to schedule a public hearing for Feb. 10 to consider Kelly Builders & Development Group’s application for a special use permit to build a three-story, 30-unit apartment house at the west end of Mulford Street.