Officials Looking To Build New Parking Garage In Patchogue

PATCHOGUE, NY - As downtown Patchogue has been becoming a hotspot on Long Island over the past few years, it has created a new issue for the community — a lack of parking spaces.

However, Patchogue village is looking to solve that problem. Officials have been working with Deputy Presiding Officer Rob Calarco to build a new municipal parking garage to help free up some of the parking lots by Main Street.

The new garage, which does not yet have an exact location, will create 348 parking spaces.

"The transformation of downtown Patchogue has truly been one of the great success stories in Suffolk County over the last two decades," Calarco said. "Success comes with its own set of challenges and parking has consistently been one of them. We have a crowded night life and a series of really well attended street-fairs that are pushing our parking capacity to the brink. It is important that as we grow and see that success, we address the issues that come with that so that we can continue to grow without negatively impacting the residents that call our village home."

The Suffolk County Legislature has allocated $625,000 to help complete the project, which is just a dent in estimated $8.5 million total needed for the proposed project.

The money provided by Suffolk County was part of package of Jumpstart Suffolk grant funding, which funds to projects that enhance vibrant mixed-use transit-oriented development in and around downtowns, light industrial and commercial areas adjacent to downtowns or transit.

The Village of Patchogue has also applied for and received an Empire State Development Grant for $1 million dollars in 2018.

While the site of the proposed garage has not yet been agreed upon, Calarco has facilitated talks between the village and Suffolk County to build the garage on a portion of the property of the Sixth District Court, located on 150 W. Main Street.

The Court’s current parking lot features 160 spaces and easy access to Main Street as well as a popular Suffolk County Bus Stop.

"The Sixth District property would be an ideal location for this project because it checks a lot of the boxes," Calarco said. "You have a prime location within short walking distance of both downtown and the Patchogue Train Station. We can also reduce the cost the cost to taxpayers because the Village won’t have to acquire new property for the garage."

The initial build-out of the garage would create a ground level with 181 parking spaces and one additional tier of parking with 167 spots. The 348 spaces would more than double the number of spaces available at the current lot.

Two additional tiers will then be added to the garage in the future. County and Village officials are hoping to reach an agreement in the next few months to transfer the property.

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