{"id":140882,"date":"2026-02-21T11:07:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T11:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/140882\/"},"modified":"2026-02-21T11:07:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T11:07:09","slug":"as-1-staten-island-neighborhood-pushes-back-on-street-closures-another-says-bring-it-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/140882\/","title":{"rendered":"As 1 Staten Island neighborhood pushes back on street closures, another says bring it on"},"content":{"rendered":"

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Planning is underway for the 2026 Summer Streets event on Forest Avenue as city officials, business owners and neighborhood groups begin early conversations about the return of last summer\u2019s controversial street closure.<\/a> And while discussions continue in West Brighton, Port Richmond voices are raising a pointed counter-argument\u2014saying the success or failure of a street closure event comes down to leadership, communication and coordination, not the concept itself.<\/p>\n

Scottie Lopez of Caf\u00e9 Con Pan bakery and restaurant said Port Richmond would welcome a Summer Streets\u2011style event<\/a> if organizers give merchants adequate time and support.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe an event like that would be a great idea, as it allows the Port Richmond area an opportunity to showcase all the wonderful businesses that call it home,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had street closures on Port Richmond Avenue in the past\u2014for the Mexican Independence Day parade <\/a>and for a Summer Streets <\/a>event\u2014and they went off without a hitch. The only thing I would suggest is that they give us ample time to prepare.\u201d<\/p>\n

Businesses on the portion of Port Richmond Avenue closest to Forest Avenue, however, remain apprehensive. Mike Burke of Denino\u2019s, for one, recalled past parade\u2011related closures and said access issues can be devastating.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy problem is that whenever they close the street for a parade like Our Lady of Guadalupe <\/a>the whole avenue shuts down and no one can get near us,\u201d he said. \u201cYou could close one block, but you can\u2019t close all of Port Richmond Avenue. That would be insane.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that delivery platforms would effectively shut down for any restaurant affected by a full street closure. Whether on Forest Avenue or Port Richmond Avenue, his hope is that planners show sensitivity to the nuances of how restaurants operate.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat nobody is talking about is DoorDash and Uber Eats,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we didn\u2019t know about a closure ahead of time, we\u2019d have to shut down every delivery platform. The drivers won\u2019t park and walk in. They\u2019ll take the order, never pick it up, and we\u2019ll be stuck making the food and getting charged for it while the customer never gets it. We\u2019d lose thousands of dollars just in deliveries alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

If an event must happen, he said, \u201cUse the [St. Roch\u2019s] church parking lot or close a single block\u2014not the whole avenue. Use the park. Don\u2019t close the whole street. That would kill us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Cafe
\nAt Port Richmond\u2019s Caf\u00e9 Con Pan, staff display tres leches and other festive cakes crafted for celebrations. The bakery says it would welcome a street\u2011festival atmosphere.(Advance\/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri)Port Richmond\u2019s example: \u2018It works when you actually talk to every business\u2019<\/p>\n

While Forest Avenue continues debating last year\u2019s disruptions, Mario Buonviaggio of the Port Richmond North Shore Alliance offers a contrasting view \u2014 one that places responsibility on local planning and merchant engagement rather than on the Department of Transportation alone.<\/p>\n

Buonviaggio helped coordinate two DOT\u2011supported street closures on Port Richmond Avenue and argues they succeeded because organizers personally engaged every merchant and adjusted plans accordingly.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the businesses want it, and they welcome it when it\u2019s done right,\u201d he said. \u201cWe make sure all businesses are on board and benefit from it. You need the energy and ambition to do it, and you have to work closely with every business and respect their wishes and concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the team refined logistics after the first year, resulting in a smooth and well\u2011attended second season.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur greatest reward is seeing the community and the kids all running around freely on a normally congested street,\u201d Buonviaggio said. \u201cIn the economic sense, this benefits both business and community. After all, it\u2019s the community that keeps these small businesses open.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buonviaggio said the Port Richmond North Shore Alliance hopes to participate again this year, crediting DOT as \u201ca great friend to the community.\u201d While he didn\u2019t comment directly on the Forest Avenue rollout, his remarks underscored what he sees as the deciding factor: leadership that mobilizes merchants, listens to concerns and builds an event around their needs.<\/p>\n

\"HolidayCountry Mouse, a children\u2019s boutique on Forest Avenue, brings vibrancy to the streetscape. The shop benefits from steady pedestrian traffic and its reputation as a destination for well\u2011curated kids\u2019 clothing. Owners take pride in their handsome window dressings, which add charm and visual appeal to the corridor.(Advance\/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri)Forest Avenue\u2019s concerns persist<\/p>\n

As previously reported by the Advance\/SILive.com, the Department of Transportation has yet to release details for this year\u2019s Forest Avenue event. Last year\u2019s closure \u2014 spanning Bard Avenue to Clove Road \u2014 drew mixed reviews. Businesses including Pastosa Ravioli, The Staaten and several medical offices, bakeries and restaurants said customers struggled to reach storefronts and parking lots during one of the corridor\u2019s busiest commercial days.<\/p>\n

Neil J. Anastasio, president of the Forest Regional Residents\u2019 Civic Association, called Open Streets \u201ca great concept,\u201d but said any location chosen must account for traffic flow, commercial access and the unique challenges of Forest Avenue.<\/p>\n

Forest Avenue BID board member Gary LiGreci said he recently met with DOT and reiterated his opposition to another full closure on last year\u2019s stretch. He suggested relocating Summer Streets to Martling Avenue or the Staten Island Zoo, where programming would not disrupt commercial corridors. The tentative date for 2026 remains July 25, though it has not been confirmed.<\/p>\n

Nina Flores, executive director of the Forest Avenue BID, emphasized that Summer Streets is a DOT\u2011run initiative \u2014 not a BID\u2011led event \u2014 and said the BID continues urging DOT to consider operational needs, visibility and economic impact on merchants.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Council Majority Whip Kamillah M. Hanks said the office was not consulted prior to last year\u2019s closure and stressed the need for better coordination with both businesses and residents.<\/p>\n

DOT said it plans to meet monthly with stakeholders and broaden outreach efforts for the 2026 installment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Planning is underway for the 2026 Summer Streets event on Forest Avenue as city…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":140883,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":["post-140882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-staten-island","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-staten-island","tag-staten-island-headlines","tag-staten-island-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140882"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140882\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/140883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}