SPOTLIGHT: On Staten Island

STATEN ISLAND (NYC) NY: Staten Island appeal is moving beyond the attractions on the bustling North Shore, spreading to the rest of the island.

Corporate giants Amazon and IKEA have built fulfillment centers on Staten Island, generating hundreds of jobs.

Transportation remains an issue, the proximity to waterfront and logistics helps as borough tries develop the West Shore.

Previously, it was difficult attracting larger companies, but the waterfront is untapped.

Our waterfront is a true asset, because there are large swatches of vacant land, especially compared to the rest of the city, and now developers and others are coming.

Specifically the St. George waterfront, is indicative of a larger transformation taking place in the borough. 

Lighthouse Point is delivering a waterfront a mix of retail shops, indoor and outdoor restaurants, entertainment space and a 12-story residential tower with 20 percent affordable units.

Broadway Stages is converting the former Arthur Kill Correctional Facility in the Charleston section into Staten Island Stages, with one of five soundstages already completed on a 69-acre campus.

While retail is in retraction in much of the country, there’s a “boom” on Staten Island, with the redevelopment of the Staten Island Mall and other new venues.

Snug Harbor, in the last few years have seen a true renaissance with an an infusion of new

restaurants and breweries.”

Snug Harbor also hosts the Noble Maritime Collection, the Staten Island Children’s Museum and the Staten Island Museum on its grounds.

Staten Island has some of the most beautiful green spaces, like High Rock Park and Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve. Even the former Fresh Kills garbage dump is gradually being turned into parkland.

Then there are tourist attractions like the Alice Austen House, the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art, Historic Richmond Town and Fort Wadsworth.