Image Credit: HPD.
On March 21, 2023, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development announced the start of a community visioning process for the development of affordable housing and neighborhood amenities at 539 Jersey Street in the St. George neighborhood of Staten Island. The 115,000 square foot site, currently a garage for the Department of Sanitation, will be transformed to better serve the neighborhood.
City agencies have engaged with the neighborhood as part of the Bay Street Corridor Neighborhood Plan, which was approved in 2019. The Bay Street plan is a comprehensive plan to redevelop along the Bay Street Corridor into a walkable, transit-oriented community. That approval included the approval to develop affordable housing on the Jersey Street site. The site is currently surrounded by small multi-family buildings, one-family homes, local businesses and religious institutions.
The community visioning process will provide the public with an opportunity to give input through in person or virtual workshops, online questionnaires, community board meetings, and an online interactive public comments map. The first workshop will be at the JCC Gerard Carter Center on Tuesday, April 4 from 6 PM to 8 PM. For more information about how to participate, click here.
After the community visioning phase is complete, a Community Visioning Report will be released. The agency will then release a Request for Proposals for the site, where developers will need to respond to goals and guidelines that reflect community priorities. For more information about future updates to the RFP, click here.
A new Department of Sanitation garage will open by the end of 2024 to provide the sanitation services to the surrounding area. That project is currently underway and being constructed by the Department of Design and Construction.
HPD Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr. stated, “All of New York City needs more affordable housing – and this public site in Staten Island offers a perfect opportunity to provide safe, quality homes to the North Shore community. We develop stronger projects when we work in partnership with the community, so I encourage New Yorkers to get involved in the community visioning process, so we can deliver the best outcome for the Jersey Street Site.”
Council Member Kamillah M. Hanks stated, “As Council Member of the 49th District, I am excited for the Jersey Street RFP and urge the community to get involved in the process of bringing affordable housing to our district. Let’s work together to create an accessible and affordable community for all.”
By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the CityLaw fellow and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)