{"id":168886,"date":"2026-03-20T02:31:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T02:31:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/168886\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T02:31:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T02:31:17","slug":"developer-makes-major-changes-to-controversial-staten-island-high-rise-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/168886\/","title":{"rendered":"Developer makes major changes to controversial Staten Island high-rise plans"},"content":{"rendered":"

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 A controversial high-rise tower in St. George is being reframed after residents raised concerns about a lack of parking and limited homeownership opportunities. According to the developer, additional parking and co-op style living are now being added to an 18-story mixed use development located at 37-59 Hamilton Ave. <\/p>\n

\u201cThroughout this process, we\u2019ve engaged with the community, local civic associations, and with councilmember [Kamillah] Hanks,\u201d noted Emanuel Kokinakis, principal of Mega Development Group, during a City Council hearing about the planned high-rise on March 18. \u201cA constant theme that we heard was to include a homeownership component. So, we\u2019re looking to include a middle-income, 100% affordable component as a portion of this project and are in active discussions with HPD [NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development] to try to execute that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kokinakis also detailed how his firm is working to address community concerns about parking.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have 146 parking spaces. This is more than is required by zoning, but we\u2019ve received consistent feedback that there\u2019s a concern if this is ample,\u201d he said. \u201cOur intent here is to be thoughtful in the design of the parking structure. These 146 spots as currently contemplated reflect self-parking spots. If the demand is there, we intend to attend the parking to increase the number of parking spots as well as include stackers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Attended parking would likely double the number of spots, Kokinakis further explained, with attendants blocking cars and making use of every inch of parking space. Stack parking is a space-saving mechanical parking system that uses elevators or platforms to store multiple vehicles vertically within a single parking footprint.<\/p>\n

Kokinakis\u2019 solutions address issues voiced by Community Board 1 and Borough President Vito Fossella, both of whom found fault with plans for 37-59 Hamilton Ave., where developers plan to replace six century-old homes with a high-rise tower containing 369 residential units<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And while the City Planning Commission voted earlier this month<\/a> to approve the builder\u2019s request for rezoning at the site, shifting the property from a residential R6 to an R7-3 mixed-use district that allows for both medium-density residential and commercial development, this City Council hearing served as the next step in the project\u2019s review. <\/p>\n

According to the zoning application, councilmembers now have several weeks to consider the builder\u2019s revisions and are expected to vote on the zoning amendment approval before the end of April.<\/p>\n

\u201cHomeownership is a critical pathway to stability and generational wealth, and on Staten Island\u2019s North Shore, those opportunities are far too limited,\u201d noted Councilmember Kamillah Hanks, who peppered the developers with questions about the project during the hearing. \u201cThis will be a defining issue for me as this project moves forward. We need to ensure that this development creates a real opportunity for working families to own, not just rent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hanks also emphasized the importance of accountability in the development process, particularly around building height and overall project commitments, noting past concerns with River North, another St. George high-rise project that was first approved for 17 stories but was later modified after that approval<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s part of a condition, we\u2019re more than happy to hold ourselves accountable and stick to that limit,\u201d Kokinakis said in response to Hanks\u2019 comment on building height. \u201cSo, we\u2019ll sign on the dotted line to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to housing, Hanks highlighted the need for arts, cultural and community space, an area long identified as a gap on the North Shore. The Hamilton Avenue proposal includes dedicated community facility space, and the Councilmember stressed during the hearing that it must be programmed in partnership with local organizations to ensure it meets real neighborhood needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy community has been clear. We need spaces that bring people together, support our young people and reflect the culture of the North Shore,\u201d Hanks said. \u201cThis project has an opportunity to do that, and we expect to be at the table to make sure it happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Councilmember David Carr was also in attendance, seeking more details about the developer\u2019s parking plan. Councilmember Shanel Thomas-Henry, who represents Queens, asked what the sales price would be on the 100 co-op units. <\/p>\n

\u201cPreliminary underwriting of ours, and it\u2019s preliminary, it has to be vetted by HPD, but we\u2019re talking in the neighborhood of $300,000 to $400,000 a unit for those middle-income units,\u201d Kokinakis replied.<\/p>\n

A formal City Council vote has not yet been scheduled for this project but the deadline for their review is April 27. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 A controversial high-rise tower in St. George is being reframed after residents raised concerns…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":168887,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-168886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168886","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=168886"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168886\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/168887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=168886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}