Hauppauge, NY - The continued revitalization of downtown Patchogue received a further boost today as Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy announced approval of the county’s acquisition of properties as part of the proposed “New Village” development.

The multidimensional, mixed-use redevelopment on the site of the former Sweezey’s Department Store on Patchogue’s historic Four Corners will feature 240 workforce housing rental units – including 67 affordable units -- a 111-room hotel and a host of new restaurants and retail outlets.

The $130 million revitalization will be one of the first of its kind, with an objective of enhancing Patchogue’s historic Main Street setting while simultaneously positioning the region for even greater future prosperity. Along with construction jobs, the development will create an estimated 300 full-time-equivalent permanent jobs.

Under Levy’s legislation the county will allocate $3.75 million in acquisition funds for various small properties in the redevelopment which will span 4.87 acres of property on the northwest corner of North Ocean Avenue and West Main Street, bordered by Lake Street and Havens Avenue. The county’s acquisition of property contributes towards making rental units affordable, according to workforce housing guidelines.

“The village of Patchogue should serve as an example of what can take place when there is a willingness from all sides to make the community a better place,” Levy said. “Through New Village, Patchogue enters the next phase in its outstanding renaissance as a vibrant and thriving transit-oriented downtown."

This mixed-use revitalization project continues the vision of Mayor Paul Pontieri and members of the Patchogue Village Board that started with Copper Beech Village, a nearby collection of 80 townhouses that have been credited with infusing new vitality and activity in the Village, to make Patchogue Village a regional hub for young professionals and families. “We take great pride in our village,” said Pontieri, “and we believe New Village will maintain the best characteristics of our community today while providing additional, attractive features in the future.”

Under the proposal, the former Sweezey’s Department Store building – which has been vacant for roughly a decade – will be razed in order to accommodate five new residential buildings, each four stories over a parking base, except where there’s retail. Four existing village landmarks will remain in the area: the Patchogue Bank, Brickhouse Brewery, Carnegie Library and the 31 West Main Building (Westwood).

New Village will include 67 affordable rental units targeted to people earning under 85 percent of the federal Housing and Urban Development Department’s Area Median Income (AMI) for Suffolk County ($66,045 for a two-person household). Of that number, 19 units will be targeted to people earning under 82 percent of the AMI ($63,714); 3 units will be targeted to people earning under 77 percent of the AMI ($59,829); 25 units will be targeted to people earning under 76 percent of the AMI ($59,052); 10 units will be targeted to people earning under 62 percent of the AMI ($48,174), and 10 units will be targeted to people earning under 59 percent of the AMI ($45,843). The remaining 173 units will all be rented at market rate for individuals earning up to 120 percent of the AMI ($93,240). A lottery will be conducted in order to select individuals to rent the units.

The TRITEC Real Estate Company of East Setauket will build in phases, with construction expected to be completed within two years. The development is registered with the U.S. Green Building Council, and sustainable materials will be used wherever possible.

Levy said the New Village initiative complements another downtown Patchogue revitalization and workforce housing effort underway, the Patchogue ArtSpace development. That initiative—a partnership involving Suffolk County, Patchogue Village and the nationally-known not-for-profit ArtSpace, which is dedicated to the needs of artists—would provide 45 affordable rental units for local artists, including studio space.

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