STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A new development on Staten Island’s North Shore could widen Victory Boulevard at the expense of nearby sidewalk space.
Plans to widen a roughly one-block segment of the major thoroughfare were presented to Staten Island’s Community Board 1 in November as part of an application that would see a McDonald’s with a drive-thru opening near the intersection of Victory Boulevard and Jewett Avenue in Meiers Corners.
As part of the application, the developer is proposing a widening of the nearby section of Victory Boulevard to accommodate additional traffic.
This widening would be funded entirely by the property owner.
To widen the road, the designers proposed removing between three and six feet of sidewalk from one side of Victory Boulevard in the area.
According to plans presented by Rampulla Associates Architects, the New Dorp-based architect for the project, approximately three feet of sidewalk would be removed from the westbound side of Victory Boulevard, starting near the intersection of Victory and Watchogue Road.
This would increase to six feet around the middle of the block, between Watchogue Road and Bradley Avenue, according to the technical drawings.
With the extra space, the proposed redesign would add in an extra travel lane on Victory Boulevard heading toward Bradley Avenue.
The new lane would allow cars to either continue straight on Victory Boulevard or turn onto Wheeler Avenue, where one of the entrances for the fast-food restaurant will be located.
Lane striping on the Jewett Avenue-bound side of Victory Boulevard would be redrawn so that both lanes would be 11 feet wide.
A site plan noting all proposed changes can be seen online as part of the November meeting minutes from Community Board 1.
Along with the road widening, the parking lot exit onto Victory Boulevard would be aligned with the existing three-way traffic signal at the intersection of Victory Boulevard and Jewett Avenue.
The site of the proposed McDonald’s near the intersection of Victory Boulevard and Jewett Avenue in Meiers Corners. The lot was formerly home to the restaurant Waterfalls, which was demolished in 2019.(Advance/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri)
The developers said they plan to petition the Department of Transportation to convert the three-way traffic signal into a four-way intersection and have the signal also direct cars out of the parking lot.
According to the developer, around half of the McDonald’s traffic is projected to exit the parking lot onto Wheeler Avenue, a one-way residential block.
When asked about the project, a spokesperson from the DOT pointed out that the proposal was still in an early stage and being finalized, but would include road widening to support a left turn onto Wheeler Avenue.
The changes would also ban left turns into the parking lot for southbound cars and include signal adjustments at the intersection of Victory Boulevard and Jewett Avenue, according to the spokesperson.
Ultimately, Community Board 1 supported the McDonald’s proposal, with only one vote in opposition.
According to a spokesperson from the borough president’s office, which has a role in land use decisions on Staten Island, this vote doesn’t guarantee the project.
Next, the Board of Standards and Appeals, which is reviewing the plan, and the developer will host a public hearing, where people can voice their concerns about the project.
After that, the BSA will weigh the input from the Community Board and public hearing and decide whether to approve or deny the proposal.
Long-time Staten Islanders may also remember the site as Tina’s and later as Waterfalls, a restaurant that was demolished in 2019.
The latter’s name was inspired by the stream that runs through the property and flows toward the Kill Van Kull.