STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — New York City’s ideas for the space around the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex range from a farmer’s market to an indoor amusement park, but officials now want to hear from developers.
The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation issued a request for expressions of interest last month to get a sense of what ideas possible concessionaires might bring to the table.
Two parcels to the north and west of the complex’s main building, which opened in 2015, will provide a concession developer nearly six acres of open space to bring new amenities to the track and field complex that hosts world-class indoor season events.
Staten Island Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Michael Cusick, a former Democratic Assemblyman, said a successful concession on the two plots could serve as a centerpiece for an East Shore resurgence, particularly after the completion of the East Shore Seawall.
“I think the [request for expressions of interest] gives people the opportunity to weigh in and put out ideas that maybe the government and the local entities are not thinking about,” he said Monday. “It is a gem that is going underutilized.”
A map rendering shows where the city Parks Department hopes to site future concessions on the campus of the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex.(Courtesy: NYC Parks)
The Parks Department’s request for expressions of interest includes about 25 potential concepts for concessions that could be brought to the site, including a restaurant, an amphitheater or even an indoor amusement park.
Athletes flock to the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex throughout the cross country and indoor track seasons, but the surrounding lack of amenities has long been a complaint for those sports communities.
In 2024, Lauren Primerano, the administrator for Ocean Breeze Park, highlighted the missed economic opportunities at the site given the number of high schoolers who spend time there for all-day track and field events.
“Sometimes the kids are here for 12 hours a day, so we do have a lot of situations where we see the kids are Door Dashing, Grub Hubbing. We constantly have deliveries coming to the facility,” Primerano said. “They’re always looking for something to do, especially those that come [from] out of town.”
Primerano made those comments at a press conference announcing a $50,000 Staten Island Economic Development Corporation study into improving opportunities along Father Capodanno Boulevard.
Cusick — who serves as a board member for the Ocean Breeze Park Alliance, a non-profit organization supportive of the complex’s development — said an emerging business corridor along Father Capodanno Boulevard has been a focus of his work since taking over the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation in early 2023.
The former Mid-Island state assemblyman said the planned seawall along the shoreline is vital to any future opportunities in the area.
“We’re trying to get people focused on it — what are the possibilities when that wall is built?” he said. “What could be built there? The state owns a lot of the property there because of the buyouts.”
Government acquisitions of dozens of nearby lots after 2012’s Hurricane Sandy typically came with covenants against future development, requiring properties remain as open space.
The seawall, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project officially known as the South Shore of Staten Island Coastal Storm Risk Management Project, has been in the works for decades and stalled repeatedly, even after the federal government agreed to fully fund the project in 2023.
Most recently, concerns about contractor safety paused the only active construction work associated with the project.
If and when the long-sought project is complete, it will mean a new future for Staten Island’s East Shore, which has long faced devastating risks from coastal storms, and Parks Department officials, including Staten Island Borough Commissioner Joseph Homsey, believe Ocean Breeze can be a main part of that future.
“Ocean Breeze is one of Staten Island’s most active parks, and we want its amenities to match the energy of the people who use it every day,” Homsey said. “Through this RFEI, we’re inviting creative ideas from operators who can bring quality, accessible services and enhancements to athletes, families and visitors alike. We look forward to seeing what the community and our partners envision for this space.”