Council leaders announce NorthShoreNYC vision for Staten Island waterfront

A North Shore planning vision

On September 25, 2026, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Majority Whip Kamillah Hanks announced NorthShoreNYC, a vision for a connected waterfront downtown on Staten Island’s North Shore. The area extends from St. George to Stapleton, and the Council said the initiative is intended to support housing, economic development, public improvements and jobs.

According to the announcement, NorthShoreNYC identifies city-owned land, vacant sites and underused properties that could support mixed-use housing growth. The Council cited current zoning rules, a lack of coordinated planning and inadequate public investment as obstacles to developing a walkable waterfront area with housing, entertainment and public-space amenities.

Sites named in the announcement

The initiative would expand the scope of the in-progress North Shore Action Plan, the Council said. Its stated goals include connecting the waterfront with surrounding communities and accelerating development on public and private land.

The Council highlighted a nearly seven-acre city-owned site on Castleton Avenue. It said the site could accommodate a new school and more than 400 homes, through a mix of rental buildings and homeownership townhouses.

Vacant and underused properties near Bay Street and Victory Boulevard were also identified. In the Council’s vision, those properties could become housing and neighborhood services while creating a connection to the waterfront.

More than $38 million in allocations

At the press conference, Menin and Hanks announced more than $38 million in capital and expense discretionary funding for public improvements, local arts and cultural institutions, healthcare services, and youth programs on Staten Island.

Specified allocations included:

• $10 million for Richmond Terrace street improvements, the Tompkinsville Esplanade and Pier One Fishing Pier. The Council said this work would connect the waterfront around the Staten Island Ferry with the developing Stapleton waterfront and new parks.
• $1.5 million for Staten Island University Hospital to expand its Emergency Room Department.
• $7.35 million for roof and façade upgrades at the St. George Theatre.

Part of a broader agenda

The Council said NorthShoreNYC follows planning and engagement initiatives for Park and Webster Avenues in the Bronx and Bay Ridge in Brooklyn. It described those efforts as part of Menin’s housing agenda, alongside proposals involving affordable housing above modernized libraries and as-of-right housing on vacant small lots.

The announcement describes NorthShoreNYC as a vision and planning effort. The Council said residents and stakeholders would continue to shape the North Shore’s future.