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The
Plan for the Staten Island Waterfront, a part
of New York City's Comprehensive Waterfront Plan
issued in August 1992, presents detailed studies
of the borough's five reaches, or waterfront study
areas.
Staten
Island, with one-fifth of the city's shoreline,
offers numerous opportunities to capitalize on
its stunning views of, and connections to, Manhattan,
Brooklyn and New Jersey from the north shore and
to enhance the marshes, coves and cliffs of the
natural waterfront along the south shore. With
nearly half of its waterfront zoned for industrial
use -- by far the highest proportion among the
five boroughs -- many large vacant sites are available
for industrial reuse or for residential and commercial
redevelopment. Staten Island's waterfront also
contains almost 4,000 acres of parks dedicated
to recreation and to the preservation of natural
resources -- 3,000 acres in the Gateway National
Recreation Area alone.
The
Staten Island Ferry, a major tourist attraction,
and four bridges connect the island to the larger
metropolitan area. The north shore contains the
island's principal gateways -- the Ferry Terminal
and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge -- and its civic
and cultural center. Staten Island is the city's
only borough with a government center oriented
toward the harbor. Though greatly affected by
economic shifts within the borough, declining
population and a high vacancy rate, the St. George
government center and surrounding neighborhoods
could benefit substantially by redevelopment or
reuse of dormant waterfront properties along the
north shore -- including the soon-to-be vacated
Staten Island Homeport and the 33-acre vacant
site once occupied by the CSX Railroad just north
of the St. George Ferry Terminal.
In
the southeastern part of the island, low-density
residential development borders the sand shores
of the Gateway National Recreation Area and numerous
city parks including Wolfe's Pond, Lemon Creek
and Conference House parks. Residential development
and population have burgeoned along the south
shore since 1970. Recently approved or newly built
residential developments are bringing over 800
new housing units to the waterfront, primarily
on the south shore along Raritan Bay.
Along
the western shore of the borough, large industrial
and municipal uses, including bulk oil storage
facilities and the 3,000-acre Fresh Kills landfill,
intermingle with one of the city's most extensive
wetlands systems -- the Harbor Herons complex.
An
astonishing variety of natural environments, emerging
from a geologically complex mix of underlying
materials, are found along Staten Island's shores.
They include the sandy uplands of the south shore,
the lowland woods and forested wetlands that form
the largest concentration of freshwater wetlands
in the city, the tidal marshes of Lemon Creek
and the Harbor Herons area, and the freshwater
ponds that were once brackish inlets to the bay.
Six
of the city's 15 state-designated Significant
Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitats are located
on Staten Island. Five are found primarily in
the Harbor Herons area which the Comprehensive
Waterfront Plan designates a Special Natural Waterfront
Area. These designated areas include the tidal
marshes of Main, Springville and Richmond creeks
and the Isle of Meadows at Fresh Kills; the 80-acre
Pralls Island; Chelsea and Merrell's marshes and
Sawmill Creek; Old Place Creek and Goethals Bridge
Pond, and 50 acres of Shooter's Island. On Raritan
Bay, Lemon Creek, a tidal, estuarine and freshwater
wetland system, is also a Significant Coastal
Fish and Wildlife Habitat. The reach plans call
for protecting these and other ecologically important
tracts of land through acquisition, transfer to
the Department of Parks or the Department of Environmental
Protection, and revision of Waterfront Revitalization
Program policies.
The
plan presents diverse strategies for increasing
and enhancing public use and enjoyment of the
borough's waterfront. Implementation of the Department's
1988 North Shore Esplanade Plan will require
a concerted effort by agencies and communities
to coordinate incremental development of the esplanade
by public and private property owners. An interim
trail along all or parts of the North Shore Railroad
right-of-way may also be feasible, allowing cyclists
and hikers to travel safely and pleasantly from
the Ferry Terminal to Snug Harbor and, perhaps,
the Goethals Bridge. In all five Staten Island
reaches, recommendations for improved access to
the water's edge within city parks and selected
street end improvements aim to connect upland
neighborhoods to their waterfronts.
With
large tracts of vacant industrially zoned land
and access to the deep waters of the Kill Van
Kull, Staten Island can support a vital working
waterfront. The north shore and land along the
Kill Van Kull were once active maritime and commercial
areas until waterborne freight and rail activity
began to decline several decades ago. The Comprehensive
Waterfront Plan designates the area bordering
the Kill Van Kull from Howland Hook to Snug Harbor
as one of six Significant Maritime/ Industrial
Areas in the city. Encompassing clusters of maritime
activity as well as large vacant or underutilized
industrial sites such as Howland Hook, the Arlington
Yards and Port Ivory,this area has the potential
to provide good transportation and market access,
and intermodal connections to the larger metropolitan
area. Howland Hook, the largest marine terminal
on the New York side of the harbor, has facilities
for container and break bulk shipping. Planned
reactivation of the North Shore line of the Staten
Island Railroad would provide rail freight service
from New Jersey to Howland Hook and an intermodal
facility at the adjoining Arlington Yards.
The
industrial base along the west shore has declined,
leaving large tracts of underutilized land within
sensitive tidal wetland environments. The declining
market for industrial sites, lack of infrastructure
and the presence of natural features limit the
development potential of the Arthur Kill South
reach. There are, however, several opportunities
to enhance public access to the Tottenville waterfront
and to lessen residential/industrial conflicts
in the historic Kreischerville community.
Public
dialogue has contributed importantly to the development
of the Comprehensive Waterfront Plan. During the
past two years, more than 100 public meetings
have been held to elicit the views of public officials,
community boards, civic and neighborhood organizations.
A citywide Waterfront Plan Advisory Committee
worked with the Department to identify and discuss
issues and opportunities affecting the future
of the city's waterfront.
Community
boards, borough boards and local elected officials
have assisted with the reach studies at two stages
in their development: the issues identification
phase and, more recently, review of the preliminary
reach recommendations summarized in the Comprehensive
Waterfront Plan. The final reach studies contained
in this report reflect modifications in response
to public comment. Public participation in the
waterfront planning process will continue over
the coming months and years as elements of the
local plans move toward implementation.
Return
to the Borough Waterfront Overview Page
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