$38 million in city funding also allocated to support Staten Island organizations, healthcare services, public improvements, and youth programs
STATEN ISLAND – Today, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Majority Whip Kamillah Hanks announced NorthShoreNYC, a vision to spur new housing and economic development and unlock the Staten Island North Shore’s potential as a vibrant downtown area from St. George to Stapleton. NorthShoreNYC identifies city-owned land, underutilized properties and vacant sites that could pave the way for mixed-use housing growth, public improvements, and job creation. The initiative also outlines how current zoning rules, a historical lack of coordinated planning, and inadequate public investment have prevented the waterfront area from becoming a walkable destination with housing, entertainment, and public space amenities comparable to other boroughs and neighboring cities. NorthShoreNYC envisions expanding the scope of the in-progress North Shore Action Plan to better connect the waterfront with surrounding communities, accelerate development on public and private land, and finally create the vibrant, walkable downtown district that Staten Islanders deserve.
“This Council is not afraid to think big and be bold when it comes to confronting the housing crisis and building a New York City for generations to come,” said Speaker Julie Menin.
“That’s why today we are unveiling NorthShoreNYC, a vision to realize a ‘Downtown Staten Island’ that is a vibrant, walkable waterfront destination with thousands of housing units, offering affordable options for people who love this borough and city. I look forward to working with Majority Whip Kamillah Hanks and our Land Use Chair, Council Member Kevin Riley, to build a community where all who call the North Shore home can raise their families and stay for decades.”
“The greatest challenge we face is the unaffordability of life, particularly for our young people,” said Majority Whip Kamillah M. Hanks. “I became a homeowner at 27 years old. That was possible for me. Today, too many young Staten Islanders cannot afford to buy a home or even rent an apartment in the borough that raised them.”
Photos of the event can be found here.
The North Shore has all the ingredients for growth: a waterfront, strong transit access, and large sites ready for redevelopment. For the North Shore to meet its potential as Staten Island’s downtown, these sites must be connected through better planning and more ambitious development. For example, the nearly 7-acre city-owned site on Castleton Avenue could serve as an ideal location for a needed new school and produce over 400 homes through a mix of rental buildings and homeownership townhouses. Down the hill from this site at the intersection of Bay Street and Victory Blvd, multiple vacant and underused properties contribute to an empty gap in the neighborhood that together can become new housing, neighborhood services, and a connection to the waterfront.
At the press conference, the Speaker and Majority Whip also announced over $38 million in capital and expense discretionary funding to support public improvement projects, local arts & cultural institutions, healthcare services, and youth programs. $10 million will go towards Richmond Terrace street improvements and constructing the Tompkinsville Esplanade and Pier One Fishing Pier which will finally connect the waterfront surrounding the Staten Island Ferry with the developing Stapleton waterfront and its new parks. The Staten Island University Hospital will receive $1.5 million to expand their Emergency Room Department. $7.35 million will be allocated to conduct needed roof and facade upgrades to the St. George Theatre.
Today’s announcement comes after the launch of similar visionary planning and engagement initiatives for Park and Webster Avenues in The Bronx and Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. The initiatives are a core component of the Speaker’s proactive housing agenda, which includes the Speaker’s plan to modernize aging libraries with affordable housing built above them and her proposed reforms to spur the building of as-of-right housing on vacant small lots.
“Addressing New York City’s housing and affordability crisis requires us to be proactive, ambitious and willing to plan alongside the communities we serve,” said Council Member Kevin C. Riley, Chair of the Committee on Land Use. “Majority Whip Kamillah Hanks has carried a vision for the North Shore rooted in the community she calls home, and this planning process represents an opportunity to build on that vision with new housing, economic opportunity and stronger connections across these neighborhoods. I commend Majority Whip Hanks for her leadership, Speaker Julie Menin for advancing a proactive housing agenda, and the residents and stakeholders whose voices will continue to shape the future of Staten Island’s North Shore.”
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