Farmingville residential development on indefinite hold
An aerial view, center, of the land that will be The Arboretum Project in Farmingville. Credit: Google Maps
Brookhaven Town Councilman Kevin LaValle says he remains optimistic that a $100 million housing project touted two years ago as an anchor for downtown Farmingville will eventually be just that.
Construction on The Arboretum Project — a 292-unit community of single-family homes and condominiums — was to have started by now, leading the revitalization efforts in the hamlet.
Officials say the delay lies with Patchogue-based developer Mike Kelly, owner of Kelly Builders and Development Group.
“There isn’t any holdup on the town’s side. The developer has other projects going on,” said LaValle, who represents the district where the project is to be built. “We remain optimistic about the change that’s going to happen over there.”
Kelly filed a site plan with town officials about three months ago that the town planning department is reviewing. But construction on the Arboretum isn’t expected to start until after Kelly completes a 139-unit luxury apartment complex in Selden.
A completion date for the Selden project hasn’t been provided.
Kelly didn’t return calls seeking comment. He said last year, “We don’t want to overpromise and underdeliver.”
“It’s a large redevelopment,” he said of The Arboretum Project at that time. “It’s a lot of work. It’s a big parcel and has a lot of components to it.”
The Arboretum is to be built just west of Horseblock Road and Hanrahan Avenue, near the Farmingville business district. It is to include three restaurants, office space and a pond constructed behind a post office and across the street from Farmingville Hills County Park, a 102-acre park with walking trails.
Marisa Pizza, executive director of the Farmingville Residents Association, said residents are anxious to have the project built, but understand the delay.
“Things take a lot of time; it’s a massive undertaking,” she said. “Of course everyone wants it to get done . . . We don’t have anything like this here. It definitely has our full support.”
Town officials say the development has always been part of a larger desire to build up the area.
“The Arboretum Project is a portion of what we want to do,” LaValle said. “People are seeing the changes that we were talking about. We’ve been able to bring in new businesses and improved some of the downtown areas.”
A Starbucks opened in the downtown area three weeks ago.
In addition, an LA Fitness opened last year inside a regional shopping center at the intersection of Horseblock Road and County Road 83, joining a Kmart and a Stop & Shop.
And a $30,000 Suffolk County matching grant has been used for new trees, benches, a fence and resurfacing to improve Triangle Park in the hamlet.
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