Bohlsen Restaurant Hearing Draws SRO Crowd

A proposal for turning the old Bank of New York building into a 275-seat restaurant and bar drew a standing-room only audience at Tuesday night's  village board public hearing with parking concerns the main topic of discussion.

The Bohlsen Restaurant Group (BRG) plans to establish an Asian cuisine eatery on the Deer Park Avenue building site. It will be the latest in a growing list of high-end eateries the group operates in Suffolk, including the Beachtree Café in East Islip, Tellers Chophouse in Islip, Prime in Huntington and the H2O Seafood Grill in Smithtown. The most recent addition to the list is Verace in Islip.

The restaurant plans have already undergone substantial changes following months of review by the village architectural and zoning boards.

While the few speakers who addressed the board all commended the design, which maintains the 88-year-old building's current look, and acknowledged that new business is good for the village, most expressed concern that patrons would devour 150 parking spots and exacerbate the already-stressed parking situation.

"The parking is the issue," said one resident, who noted that the parking estimations did not include spots needed for employees, which could range from 30 to 50. "The calculations on the parking needs are not realistic."

But BRG representatives said two parking studies the company conducted show adequate parking available and that BRG will provide signage to help patrons find open parking.

Several residents who live near the bank building stressed the need for village vigilance on potential noise and garbage issues. One resident also requested that the fire department and emergency services organizations be involved in reviewing the proposal.

"Village services such as those are going to be needed and they have to be taken into account," stated a resident.

In response to the concerns, BRG leader and longtime local resident Michael Bohlsen said he is willing to do what is necessary to address the issues and told Patch his company strives to use local businesses for services such as printing and floral needs and aims to be  part of the business community.

He acknowledged that the project is big and that he's focused on making the new restaurant a good addition to a village he already loves.

"I've lived here a long time and fell in love with the historic building years ago. It's a beautiful building," he told Patch. "We want to be good neighbors."