In 2016, the New York City Department of City Planning (DCP), working with a number of city agencies and Make the Road NY (MRNY), proposed a series of land use actions to implement recommendations for the Bay Street Corridor Downtown Staten Island Neighborhood Planning Initiative. The Plan is the subject of an ongoing community process to create opportunities for housing, including affordable housing, commercial development, and improved public spaces and infrastructure in Downtown Staten Island.
Hester Street supported the Plan by providing community engagement guidance and developing tailored content, toolkits and materials to inform MRNY’s Staten Island members about the rezoning process on the Bay Street Corridor. We were also responsible for leading the Housing Dignity Coalition’s official response to the City’s planning and rezoning processes in the borough. HST provided further project management support related to overall strategy, urban design and site specific analysis as needed.
On June 26th, 2019, the City Council voted to approve the Bay Street Corridor Neighborhood Plan, and zoning changes officially went into effect with goal of fostering a lively dowtown. The plan is expected to bring 2,600 new homes (with more than 450 permanently affordable homes through Mandatory Inclusionary Housing and 850 affordable homes on city-owned sites); protect existing tenants and help move homeless families into permanent housing; create around 1,000 new jobs, and support local businesses with over $1.5 million in grants to community-based partners.