Developer: Construction of a Patchogue hotel could start this year after plan clears last hurdle

Construction of Patchogue’s first hotel in many decades could start as soon as this year, its developer said, after the project received all required village approvals.

Tempo by Hilton, a five-story hotel with a rooftop restaurant, 96 guest rooms and 13 rental apartments, would be built on the site of a shuttered bowling alley on West Avenue, near the Watch Hill ferry terminal and Patchogue’s Long Island Rail Road station.

The village planning board approved the project's site plan last month, clearing the last hurdle before demolition of the bowling alley can start, Mayor Paul Pontieri said in a text message.

The hotel — believed to be Patchogue's first in at least 70 years — is expected to boost tourism and fill a void of available hotel rooms on Long Island, officials have said.

The hotel's engineers will need a couple of months to complete engineering plans before construction begins, said Allon Avgi, of West Avenue Partners, which is building the project.

“It would be great to start this year. That would be the goal. … [But] I wouldn’t be surprised if it goes into next year,” Avgi said Monday in a phone interview. “We’re not rushing. We just want to make sure the site is as close to perfect as we can get. ... We’re building the only hotel in Patchogue and we want to make sure it’s amazing.”

West Avenue Partners has said the hotel would have 119 parking stalls and would employ 75 permanent workers, adding that construction would create 200 jobs.

Village officials have touted the hotel's location: a short walk from the train station and adjacent to the National Park Service's Watch Hill ferry, which carries passengers to Fire Island.

Addressing concerns expressed by village residents that there would not be enough parking for hotel guests, Patchogue officials have said additional parking would be available at the railroad station.

Hilton's upscale Tempo brand features fitness and wellness centers, cocktail lounges and indoor and outdoor dining. Hilton did not respond to a message seeking comment.

Long Island "significantly" outperforms the national average with more than 70% occupancy of hotel rooms, compared with about 63% nationwide, said Daniel H. Lesser, co-founder and president of LW Hospitality Advisors in Manhattan.

“During peak periods, there aren’t enough rooms on the Island,” he said. Predicting a new hotel's success is tricky, but Tempo has strong support from its corporate parent, Lesser said.

“It’s a Hilton brand. It’s one of several new brands that the industry has introduced in the recent past," he said. "It’s backed by a very strong brand family.”

Downtown Patchogue has not had a major hotel in decades, perhaps since the 1950s, said David Kennedy, executive director of the village's Business Improvement District.

Online records posted by the Patchogue-Medford Library show Roe's Hotel stood for many decades on East Main Street, near the present-day Blum's apparel shop. The hotel burned down in the mid-1930s, a post said.

“At the first half of the 20th century, Patchogue was dotted with a lot of hotels” serving local beaches and tourism spots, said Kennedy, 57. He said he wasn't sure why other hotels did not take Roe's place after it burned.

An online search for hotels in the Patchogue area directs visitors to hotels in Ronkonkoma, Holtsville and Medford.

“I’ve lived in Patchogue all my life," Kennedy said. "I’ve never known Patchogue to have a hotel.”

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.