Plans for an apartment house/marina on Mulford Street in Patchogue met opposition from neighbors who came to a meeting of the Village Planning Board on Nov. 18.

Kelly Builders & Development Group wants to build a three-story building at 102 Mulford Street along the Patchogue River with 30 two-bedroom units.

The project includes a 60-slip marina and two public green spaces: a pocket park with benches at the corner of West Avenue and Mulford Street; and green space at the west end of Mulford Street close to the river.
“It’s going to be a beautiful building,” Kelly Builders & Development Group president Mike Kelly said in an interview.

The village board on Nov. 18 heard comments from the public on the developer’s preliminary site plan. The board will decide whether to recommend that the village board of trustees issue a special use permit for the project. Part of the site is in an E-industrial zone and part is in a C-residential zone.

Several years ago, a different developer had proposed building a 50-unit apartment building and clubhouse and two-tier parking garage, for which the planning board recommended a special use permit be issued. However, the Suffolk County Planning Commission issued a recommendation against the plan, saying it would set a precedent for development along the Patchogue River.

Residents raised a number of concerns about the current proposal, including about parking and traffic in the residential neighborhood, possible flooding, and whether Patchogue already has enough apartments.

The apartment house and marina would share a surface parking lot with 90 spaces, enough to accommodate both uses, Kelly said. He expects that most of the tenants will be boat owners who will also dock their boats at the marina.

Some residents told the board they would prefer it to be condominiums rather than rental units, but planning board chairman John Rocco said that is not something the board can dictate.

If the necessary approvals are obtained, construction would take about 15 months to 18 months, Kelly said.

If approved, this would not be Kelly Builders & Development Group’s first residential project in Patchogue. The company previously developed The Riverwalk and Copper Beech Village. Kelly is also seeking approval for a 63-unit planned retirement community on the south side of the Sunrise Highway south service road near the St. Joseph’s University athletic fields.