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Downtown Kings Park. File photo

By Sabrina Artusa

Cornerstone Kings Park, a 50-unit luxury apartment building proposed for the corner of Meadow Road and Indian Head Road in Kings Park, was discussed at the Smithtown Board of Zoning Appeals public hearing on Aug. 6.

The 44,883-square-foot project would sit outside of the LIRR train station and would be part of the Kings Park downtown revitalization effort.

The proposed project necessitates a special exception as the surrounding area is currently zoned as commercial-business & industrial. A vacant restaurant pad site would need to be demolished if the project is to be built.

In order to progress and be considered by the Smithtown Town Board, the Smithtown Zoning Board of Appeals must approve the special exception.

The zoning board doesn’t anticipate making a recommendation to the Town Board until the Smithtown Comprehensive Master Plan is adopted, which would change the zoning of the area to transit oriented development (TOD). Further, the zoning board expressed dissatisfaction with several setbacks, which they deemed deficient even if the plan is adopted. The zoning change to transit oriented development would alter the minimum requirement for a setback.

Smithtown Board of Zoning Appeals meeting on Aug. 6. Photo courtesy of Smithtownny.gov

Legislator Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga) spoke at the public hearing. “I am all for building something on this property,” he said. “Make no mistake about it. But 50 units in the parking lot of a shopping center is ridiculous.”

Trotta went on to suggest making a portion of the units co-ops or condominiums, an idea he has integrated in a resolution he designed to increase home ownership. The resolution was shot down in a Suffolk County Economic Development, Planning & Housing Committee meeting.

The size and magnitude of the project is one of the chief factors of concern for many. One constituent said, “I used to work in Queens and I like to come home to a backyard and a different style of life … it will kind of diminish and ruin what we are trying to have here. This kind of deviates from that kind of thinking.”

Another member of the community was eager for the project to provide more housing opportunities for the aging generation and to economically boost the downtown area.

Indeed, the developers market the project as a step towards fulfilling the goals listed in the Revitalizing Downtown Kings Park Action Plan which was developed by The Kings Park Chamber of Commerce and Kings Park Civic Association in 2016.

“Utilizing the Revitalizing Downtown Kings Park Action Plan, Terwillliger Bartone, with the Cornerstone Kings Park project, fills an important role of meeting the desires of the plan, from parking to transit oriented development to design and more” the Cornerstone Kings Park website reads.

After receiving criticism from citizens, the developers, Tanzi Properties LLC and Terwilliger & Bartone Properties, made several adjustments to the proposal, including decreasing the stories from four to three and supplementing above ground parking with an underground garage.

The developers expect the project to bring in $2 million annually in discretionary spending. Furthermore, their traffic study indicated that “it is the perfect complement to what is already existing in the area,” said the lawyer for the developers, Garrett Gray of Weber Law Group.

Gray said in his presentation that at peak hours, the parking is not expected to exceed 77% capacity.

Cornerstone Kings Park is one of the projects being considered for the $10 million Smithtown-Kings Park has received from the state for its downtown revitalization.

The application is still under review; the Zoning Board will more seriously consider making a recommendation once the Smithtown Comprehensive Master Plan is adopted, which is expected to occur within the coming months.

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By Katherine Kelton

Three Village resident Matthew Niegocki. Photo courtesy Matthew Niegocki

Three Village resident Matthew Niegocki has been ranked No. 91 Top Best-in-State Financial Security Professionals on the 2024 Forbes list.

TBR News Media sat down with Niegocki to learn about his work and how he earned the coveted Forbes title. 

Niegocki, who grew up in Ridge, had to make a difficult decision upon graduating college: Did he want to become a police officer or pursue an insurance career? He admits to not knowing much about financial security as it was more of an area of intrigue for him. 

Though his proficiency in the job is undeniable: “Right out of college, after interviewing at different financial advising positions, I chose Prudential. Graduated in May and started in June, 18 years later here I am.”

Niegocki’s dedication to his profession is unparalleled.

He shared a recent story that underscores his clientele relationships.

“I have a client out in Glendale, Queens — a senior woman,” he said. “She called me up asking for funds out of one of her accounts to make home improvements. So, I sent her some of the money. Then, she calls up again asking for more money — and this is someone who doesn’t spend extensively, and lives below her means. Her taking out large deposits, to me, raised a red flag.”

He continued by saying he had a conversation with her about exactly what home improvements she was having done that cost such a deep investment: a 7-foot flat roof for which she was going to be charged $136,000. Niegocki immediately called the Queens district attorney’s office and a contractor friend of his, who traveled out to the woman’s home.

It was clear to Niegocki that his client was being scammed.

“The guy that was scamming her got two guys from Home Depot, and they weren’t even using the correct tools,” he said. His contractor was able to complete the job, charging only a fraction of the original at $11,000. 

“My philosophy is to have a conversation,” he added. Taking time to build relationships with clients is key. With new prospects, he asks many questions, ensuring he is properly understanding them and their concerns, on a personal level.

Prudential Financial, the financial security company for which Niegocki has worked his entire career, has been designated one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies — an award given by the Ethisphere Institute, for the last 10 years.

Niegocki does admit that most firms in the financial security industry are “good companies.” He says that there is not a lot of competition within the industry, “believe it or not.”

He usually advises people not to switch their financial advisers, so long as they are happy. 

Prudential does have a unique outlook on insurance, Niegocki shared.

“It’s more of a needs-based approach. So, we sit down with families, individuals and business owners and have a conversation to see what their concerns are and what they’re looking to accomplish. Based on that, we tailor retirement planning and life insurance around that,” he said.

The Forbes distinction gives Niegocki extra credibility, as it will distinguish him from other advisers in the state.

Outside of work, Niegocki’s life does not revolve around phone calls, computer screens or emails. He enjoys a very active lifestyle, biking around the shores of the Three Village community, gardening and spending time with his family.

Matthew Niegocki, pictured with the Three Village Dads. Photo courtesy Matthew Niegocki

As a part of his community appreciation, he joined the Three Village Dads Foundation. This group has raised over $100,000 for the Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. The nonprofit, additionally, fundraises for local businesses and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3054, which serves the Three Village area.

“I love the Three Village community,” he said. “I feel like it’s a community like no other. There’s so much history. It’s great to raise a family and own a business — it is beautiful here.”

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Smithtown fire marshals allege the office building at 811 W. Jericho Turnpike housed an illegal massage parlor, pictured above in the top right lot of the map. Screen capture from Google Maps

Smithtown fire marshals put a Queens woman’s hands in cuffs and charged her with violating the state’s penal law via an illegal massage parlor, officials said.

Peiyu Du, a 44-year-old woman from Flushing, was arrested July 30 and charged in connection with an illegal massage parlor raided last month in Smithtown. Public Safety initially busted the parlor on July 19 around 2 p.m. operating out of 811 West Jericho Turnpike to find what Department Director Chief John Valentine described as an elaborate hidden facility with multiple bedrooms, each holding three to four young Asian women.

Officials cited suggestive advertisements for the space on Backpage.com, promising patrons body rubs from Korean and Japanese girls for $60 to $70.

Among the multiple violations of Smithtown code included the interfering with the duties of the fire marshal, Valentine said. Du was also charged under the state’s penal law for obstructing governmental administration. She was released with a field appearance ticket and her arraignment was scheduled for Sept. 29.

The investigation will be continuing with help from the Suffolk County District Attorney.

Late last month, Valentine said the fire marshals acted in response to a request for assistance from the Smithtown Fire Department to find the parlor, filled with young Asian women in “various stages of undress.” Upon their entry, Valentine said an Asian woman confronted the fire marshals and tried to block their entrance into the location.

“The unidentified females and several apparent patrons fled the location upon entry,” Valentine said when the parlor was busted last month. “Suffolk County Police 4th Precinct officers were contacted and responded to the location.”

Inside, officials found what Valentine described as suggestive advertising and photographs promoting the services. Subsequent online searches posted that same day on Backpage.com advertised a grand opening for cash-only massage services with several provocative photos of young Asian women. The posting was listed under a “Long Island body rubs” thread.

An ongoing investigation was put into motion through the Smithtown Public Safety Department and fire marshals have uncovered multiple violations of the fire and property maintenance codes as well as town code violations, including interfering with emergency personnel, Valentine said.

It was unclear if there would be additional arrests.

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By Julianne Cuba

Peaches Rodriguez, a break dancing pioneer, stand-up comedian and East Northport resident who broke into stardom after her role in the 1984 film, “Beat Street,” is the unlikely doppelgänger of a well-known French politician.

Comedian and dancer Peaches Rodriguez, above, is enjoying a new level of intercontinental fame, thanks to her resemblance to French politician Marine Le Pen. Photo from Peaches Rodriguez
Comic and dancer Peaches Rodriguez, above, is enjoying a new level of fame, thanks to her resemblance to French politician Marine Le Pen. Photo from Rodriguez

After a break dancing competition in Queens last month, Abdel Karim, who is a hip-hop choreographer and a friend of a friend of Rodriguez on Facebook, created a video meme of Rodriguez break dancing with the suggestion that it was actually Marine Le Pen, the popular nationalistic politician, dancing just after local elections in France.

Because of its extreme absurdity, the video went viral in France, with nearly 300,000 views on Facebook. That video, along with a second video of Rodriguez and a few other break-dancers, also went viral in the United States, with more than 100,000 hits.

“It’s always good to get exposure no matter how you get it,” Rodriguez said in a phone interview this week. “You can’t control something that goes viral. And you have to take it as it comes. It’s almost so random you just have to roll with it and enjoy it as it happens … the views are continuing to go up.”

It’s as if there was a video of a Hillary Clinton look-alike break dancing after an election, Rodriguez suggested for comparison — because that’s exactly what happened, she said.

Comedian and dancer Peaches Rodriguez is enjoying a new level of intercontinental fame, thanks to her resemblance to French politician Marine Le Pen, above. Photo by Rémi Noyon, through Flickr Creative Commons license
A video of Peaches Rodriguez has gone viral, due to her resemblance to French politician Marine Le Pen, above. Photo by Rémi Noyon, through Flickr Creative Commons license

In the 1980s, after moving from Connecticut to New York with the hopes of beginning a career in comedy, Rodriguez said she got into break dancing after realizing how good she actually was at that style of dance.

Today, Rodriguez still does both — stand-up comedy and break dancing. But her main job is a traveling comedian in the tristate area, she said.

“I break-dance part time, they have battles and events,” she said. “It’s a cool underground scene.”

Rodriguez also spends her time mentoring young, novice dancers in the industry.

Due to her new intercontinental fame, Rodriguez said she has a few gigs already lined up in the U.S.
Rodriguez added that if Clinton wins the 2016 presidential election, she would not hesitate to dress up like the former U.S. secretary of state and bust a move or two.

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