Letter: Apartments wrong for Patchogue
An artist's view of a proposed apartment building at West Main Street and North Ocean Avenue in Patchogue. Credit: Downtown Patchogue Redevelopers
Apartments wrong
for Patchogue Village
Newsday's endorsement of Tritec Real Estate Co.'s plan to build 291 rental apartments on our Main Street is grossly misleading ["Long Island's fear of rentals," Editorial, March 14].
The original plan included a hotel, owner-occupied units, additional commercial space and adequate tiered parking. It was a true mixed-use plan that the community embraced. Over the years, Tritec removed the hotel, the owner-occupied component and the tiered parking, leaving us with 291 rental apartments and a woefully inadequate parking plan -- a classic "bait and switch." The amended plan will deter visitors and negatively impact our quality of life.
Patchogue Village does not fear rentals. Unlike other Suffolk County communities, we are saturated with more than 50 percent rental properties. Our residents know that Tritec's claims of "luxury living" are unrealistic, because these same false promises have been made by past developers, and their disappointing work is on display throughout our community.
Our village is resurging without more high-density rental housing in the heart of our downtown. When I am elected mayor, my team and I will work quickly to implement a plan for the Four Corners that benefits our entire community and puts the interests of residents first.
Elisabeth L. McGuire, Patchogue
Editor's note: The writer is a candidate for Patchogue Village mayor.
