City Hopes for Recreation Center on Staten Island

STATEN ISLAND, NY-Hoping to turn a 9.7-acre parcel of city-owned land here into a family-oriented recreation or garden center, the New York City Economic Development Corp. has issued a Request for Proposals for the acquisition of the site. It is just one of many projects being proposed here inside a 135-acre parcel, which Borough President James P. Molinaro notes, has been a development topic for 30 years.

The EDC is specifying that any development plan include related commercial components to sustain it. The site, located in the Charleston section of the borough on the southwest shore at the intersection of Arthur Kill Road and Veterans Road West and bounded by Englewood Avenue to the north, is zoned for light manufacturing. Such zoning which would permit wholesale service facilities and certain types of community facilities.

According to EDC president Andrew M. Alper, the EDC is looking for proposals that will support the residential base and contribute to the overall economy of the area. “Corresponding commercial and retail opportunities must not be overlooked if a proposed project is to be financially feasible and truly successful.”