Artspace Patchogue welcomes 1st tenants

While painters, sculptors and photographers sold their wares across the hall, a pair of actors dimmed the lights on a play -- steps from where they all live.

Artspace was open for business -- and for living.

On a site that once housed two underused parking lots and an abandoned house, a group of developers, artists and local officials Wednesday cut the ribbon on the much-anticipated piece of downtown Patchogue's ongoing renaissance.

Artspace Patchogue Lofts, an $18-million live-and-work development, formally welcomed its first tenants.

The 60,000-square-foot five-story development, located one block off Main Street, consists of 45 income-restricted units, each of which includes extra space for artists to ply their crafts. The project also includes gallery and retail space.

Jay Varney, a painter who was selling a wall-sized piece in the gallery, said he was excited to call Artspace home.

"When I was done with college, it was either move away and try to find a job or hang around here and see what was happening with this Artspace project," said Varney, 23, a recent Binghamton University graduate. "I'm glad I stayed."

Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri says the project is a key part in the growth of the surrounding area.

In March, Patchogue's board of trustees approved a plan to turn the former Swezey's department store into 17,000 square feet of office space, 45,000 square feet of retail space and 291 apartments. The village also has added more than 200 new housing units by allowing high-density development near its downtown, and the Patchogue Theater for the Performing Arts is a steady draw, local officials have said. One result: The commercial occupancy rate downtown is climbing.

Pontieri called Artspace Patchogue Lofts "an important piece of the puzzle."

He added, "Now you can watch a show, go to a restaurant, go to a gallery. The artists will become part of the community."

Artspace Patchogue Lofts was developed by Artspace, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit real estate developer. The project was funded through state Housing Finance Agency bonds, state low-income housing tax credits, and county and village money, among other sources, said Shawn McLearen, an Artspace project manager.

Construction of Artspace Patchogue began in 2009 and was completed last month. The 45 units are all leased out, McLearen said.

The Patchogue project is the first completed by Artspace in the metropolitan New York area, McLearen said.

The company owns and operates 30 similar developments around the country and has about a dozen in the pipeline, including the forthcoming 90-unit El Barrio's Artspace project on Manhattan's East Side.

Patchogue's desire "to become a creative destination" made the village a good fit for the project, McLearen said.