STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A local developer who recently scrapped plans to replace a single, one-family home with five, multi-family homes on Uncas Avenue is now eying a similar project in Great Kills.
On Wednesday, Borough President Vito Fossella held a press conference in Great Kills to blast plans to demolish an existing single-family home on the corner of Oakdale Street and Ramblewood Avenue and build five, two-family homes in its place.
Christopher Stout, a New York City developer who owns the Oakdale Street property, had previously planned a nearly identical project on Uncas Avenue, but recently abandoned those plans amid fierce community backlash.
The borough president, who is a Great Kills resident, blamed the proposed plan on the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity zoning text amendment, which aims to create more housing units by loosening some zoning restrictions, including permitting higher-density development in transit hubs and town centers.
“I’m not a big fan of the expression we told you so, but we’re seeing today the results of we told you so with respect to the City of Yes. We fought as much as we could on behalf of the people of Staten Island, on behalf of the people in this community, to prevent what’s about to happen here and elsewhere across the South Shore,” Fossella said.
“We said then and we are finding out now what’s going to happen is that one home could be knocked down… and now the plan is to replace this one home with five, two-family houses. So one family leaves and 10 families come in,” he continued.
Borough President Vito Fossella held a press conference on Wednesday, Dec. 3, to oppose a plan to replace a single-family home in Great Kills with five, two-family homes. (Advance/SILive.com | Erik Bascome)Advance/SILive.com | Erik Bascome
The borough president was joined by several neighbors of the property, many of whom voiced concerns that the project would upset the character of the existing neighborhood.
“I bought a family home and I’m just so appalled as to what’s going on with the City of Yes because it’s allowing these builders to come in and knock down beautiful homes that are in our neighborhood. And we are now going to get a row house put here. It’s just doesn’t fit into our neighborhood,” said Linda Minucci.
“Our neighborhood isn’t just land to be developed. We are a community built on connection, history and stability. We’re fighting to protect its character before it’s gone for good. In my opinion, the City of Yes benefits developers and destroys the character of our communities,” added Gabrielle Montana.
Stout confirmed to the Advance/SILive.com that he intends to replace the single-family home with five, two-family homes and has no plans to reverse course in the way he did with the Uncas Avenue property.
The developer, who grew up in a semi-detached home in Great Kills, noted that he is legally permitted to build an apartment building on the Oakdale Street lot due to the zoning changes implemented through the City of Yes, but elected instead to build two-family homes.
The Department of Buildings has already approved an application to reallocate the existing one zoning lot and one tax lot into one zoning lot and five tax lots, paving the way for the project to move forward.
A tax lot is a parcel of land identified for property tax purposes. A zoning lot is one or more adjacent tax lots within a block.
Fossella has long been one of the most outspoken critics of the zoning changes brought forth by the City of Yes.
The borough president, alongside other elected officials and community groups, had sued the city in an effort to overturn the changes, but the lawsuit was recently dismissed after a Staten Island judge ruled the city’s land-use approval process “functioned as intended and created a voluminous and diverse record.”
With the lawsuit now dismissed, Fossella said his approach moving forward is two-fold; making sure builders are complying with all rules and regulations and convincing the city to evaluate zoning changes on Staten Island on a contextual, block-by-block basis.
“The city of New York owes it to these people here in Great Hills and across the South Shore and Staten Island to step up and know what they did was wrong, what they did was wrong and they need to fix it,” Fossella said.
A representative from the Department of City Planning noted that there are already existing semi-detached homes around the corner from the Oakdale Street property and defended the City of Yes as a necessary initiative to address the city’s ongoing housing crisis.
“New York City faces perhaps the worst housing crisis in the city’s history, and New Yorkers demand action. That is why we worked with the City Council to deliver City of Yes, a set of zoning changes to allow a little more housing in every neighborhood,” a City Planning spokesperson told the Advance/SILive.com.
“Developments like duplexes, townhouses, or backyard cottages are an appropriate way to meet New Yorkers’ housing needs – whether they are seniors looking to age in their own community or young people looking to buy a home – without drastically changing the character of the neighborhood,” the continued.