Listen to this articleElected officials joined business leaders Sunday at a ribbon-cutting event for the Farmingville Hills Chamber of Commerce new headquarters.
The new 1,500-square-foot building at 10 Maple Lane in Farmingville was constructed on the grounds of The Arboretum at Farmingville, a 292-unit development on 62 acres.
The developers built and then donated the $250,000 building which is adjacent to The Arboretum’s planned two-story, 24,000-square-foot commercial building that will have offices above ground-floor retail space.
Besides serving as the chamber’s new headquarters, the 1,500-square-foot building will also be utilized as a community center, where it will hold year-round events, business improvement workshops, networking meetings, and more.
A three-day planning workshop held by the Town of Brookhaven with the Farmingville community in 2008, planted the seeds for the development and conceptualized The Arboretum project and community building. During the workshop, Michael Wentz, who owns his own marketing firm, came up with the idea to create the Farmingville Hills Chamber of Commerce, which was incorporated in 2011.
Wentz, who also serves as director of marketing and analytics for Adelphi University, said the chamber’s new facility will unite the community.
“What started as a dream in 2008, has finally become a reality in 2024,” he said.
The Arboretum at Farmingville is a $147 million garden-style community with a mix of 82 two-bedroom flats, 82 lofts, 63 two-bedroom townhomes, 14 three-bedroom townhomes, 51 three-bedroom single-family houses, and 30 units within the complex reserved for workforce housing. Stony Brook-based Kelly Development spearheaded the Farmingville project, along with BRP Companies and Basis Investment Group. A second phase with an additional 292 residences is planned for the site.
The development, which officially opened at the end of June, features 7,500 square feet of shared amenity space, including a clubhouse, fitness center, yoga rooms, pool and cabana area, tennis, pickleball and bocce courts, a putting green, a playground, dog run and pet wash stations, and a business center with conference rooms. The property also has a 7-acre park with nature paths, walking trails and picnic areas that are open to the public.
The Farmingville Hills Chamber of Commerce, which supported the Arboretum project, has grown to 175 members, and is now one of the few chambers on Long Island with an actual base of operations.
“This is historic for Farmingville and Suffolk County as the chamber headquarters, accompanied by the planned Arboretum Commons, a 24,000-square-foot commercial building, will be the catalyst to Farmingville transforming into a modern walkable downtown,” Wentz said.