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In 2008, SIEDC commissioned Arup consultants to create a vision plan for developing the two NYCEDC owned parking lots that flank the Richmond County Bank Ballpark. St. George Station is a mixed-use development plan incorporating retail amenities, residences and open public spaces. Retail components would be located on the lot nearest the St. George terminal, “St. George Station” and envisioned are an IMAX Theater, urban grocery, a large anchor tenant such as Borders and additional retail to satisfy the needs of residents, commuters and tourists. Approximately 340 units of housing would also be located at this site above the retail establishments. A promenade leading to the water’s edge and culminating in an open public space encourages pedestrian access and the potential for outdoor events.
The majority of residential units would be located on the lot north of the ballpark, “St. George Waterfront” consisting of town homes and low, medium and high rise slender towers in order to preserve view corridors for the hilltop above. The structures would be grouped into three blocks with public plazas and waterfront access. (See Exhibit B and B-1) The most unique feature of the plan was designed to address the need for substantial parking: both development lots would be raised to Richmond Terrace grade level and sit atop 3-deck parking lots. The 1,500 parking spaces currently located on the site would increase to more than 3,800 spaces, with residences receiving one space per unit, a significant increase over current NYC zoning requirements of .4 spaces per unit.
This plan offers enormous benefits for the St. George community at large by providing them with retail amenities currently lacking in the area, for tourists who would be encouraged to leave the terminal and spend their dollars in the site’s shops and eateries and for area workers who would be afforded a prime location to shop and eat during their lunch breaks and after work. It would also raise Staten Island to a level comparable with other cities that have invested in their waterfront communities and reaped the rewards in tourism, quality of life, and economic development.
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