From the NY Times:
Staten Island Considers New Plans to Keep Its Youth From Leaving
To reverse the flow of younger people leaving Staten Island, the borough should entice developers to build more affordable apartments close to the ferry, according to a study released yesterday.
…
The St. George neighborhood near the ferry to Manhattan is the closest thing to a downtown district in the borough, but it lacks the vibrancy of other sections of New York City that have become havens for young professionals and artists, said Jonathan Bowles, who wrote the study for the Center for an Urban Future, a public policy group.What is needed, the study said, is an immediate change in zoning rules, which have prevented more dense developments near the waterfront.
“If Staten Island is going to hang on to its young people and attract young professionals from elsewhere, it’s going to have to have a dynamic neighborhood with new amenities,” said Mr. Bowles, who presented the center’s findings at a conference of the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation, which commissioned the study. “In a lot of ways, Staten Island is doing very well right now, but under the hood there are a number of mounting problems.”
Staten Island is the city’s fastest-growing borough. That growth has produced new woes, Mr. Bowles said, like rapidly rising housing prices, congested roads and a shortage of high-paying jobs. The lack of a comprehensive plan to solve those problems is very likely to continue driving younger people away, he said.
In the 1990s, the borough’s population increased by 17 percent to about 450,000, but the number of residents ages 18 to 34 decreased by 5 percent, according to the study. That shift reduced the share of residents ages 18 to 34 to fewer than 23 percent from about 28 percent. Many of those who left moved to New Jersey.
From New York Business:
Staten Island facing economic issues: report
Staten Island is facing a series of economic challenges ranging from rising real estate costs, a lack of new corporate office tenants and an exodus of young adults, according to a report released Tuesday.
The Center for an Urban Future, a Manhattan think tank, said the borough needed to create a master plan for future growth, increase public transportation options and reverse recent zoning changes in key business districts to avoid a serious economic decline.
The report was presented at the annual Staten Island Economic Development Corp. conference, where Borough President James Molinaro pointed out, in his speech, that he wanted to create a light rail service for the entire borough. The service would connect to the Hudson Bergen Light Rail in New Jersey, giving commuters a direct link to PATH service into Manhattan.
That may go a long way toward retaining and attracting young adults, who have been fleeing the borough over the past 17 years because of a lack of affordable housing, little access to public transportation and no urban downtown, the report states. The percentage of residents aged 18 to 34 has fallen to 23% from 28% in 1990.
Now here’s a location that if it left
earth today, nobody would miss it.
^^ full of crap.
SI has Perkins, and the only trailer park in NYC. Much love.
St. George/Stapleton could be nice if they, I don’t know, closed down the Sanitation depot on Jersey St. (after they got rid of the drug-dealing scum and the riffraff who are gadding about instead of working or being in school).
At least the Taco Bell on Bay + Victory got rid of the bulletproof glass drive-thru, things are getting better!
(and there’s an all-night White Castle.. And Goodfella’s pizza.. Man I’m starting to miss SI..)