The project, which would not have been permitted in past years, is now legal due to the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity zoning text amendments, which loosened some restrictions on what can be developed where, including permitting high-density development in transit hubs and town centers, in an effort to create more housing across the city.<\/p>\n
State Sen. Andrew Lanza, a Republican who represents Staten Island, kicked off the discussion by highlighting his past efforts on the City Council to downzone the South Shore in an attempt to prevent overdevelopment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought if I had left office then, after we did the last [downzoning], that I\u2019d have this wonderful legacy and never have to look back. I really never imagined that something this disgusting, this offensive and this anti-democratic would happen. But here we are. And so that\u2019s what I\u2019m talking about. The City of Yes is a mess,\u201d Lanza said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe same people from a certain party that care about saying they care about diversity don\u2019t believe in the diversity of neighborhoods. I love that New York City has the skyscrapers of Manhattan, but I also love that we have the front yards, backyards and trees and parts of Staten Island and they ought to respect that,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The senator went on to address Christopher Stout, a New York City developer who owns the Oakdale Street property, arguing that just because the law permits the project, doesn\u2019t mean he should move forward with it if it\u2019s overwhelmingly opposed by the community.<\/p>\n
![\"NWS](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CBL6PQNFOFBG5FSE2BRDG3CRJ4.JPG\")
Christopher Stout, a local developer, listens as residents express their concerns during a Community Board 3 meeting about his plans to demolish a single-family home located at the corner of Oakdale Street and Ramblewood Avenue in Great Kills and construct five two-family homes on the lot. The meeting was held at the CYO MIV Center at Mount Loretto, in Pleasant Plains on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. Owen Reiter<\/p>\n
Stout, who grew up in the Great Kills neighborhood where the project is located, noted that there are already several semi-detached homes in the neighborhood, including the one he was raised in.<\/p>\n
He also emphasized the City of Yes zoning changes only allow these types of density increases at a select number of Staten Island sites that meet specific requirements in an effort to ease fears that the entire neighborhood would be \u201coverdeveloped\u201d overnight.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s only about 150 properties that this could happen to and that would mean that tomorrow 150 people would have to sell their homes. It will not happen. So if you were to take this zoning and say everything that\u2019s allowed arrives tomorrow, that would be a big problem,\u201d said Stout.<\/p>\n
He also noted that under the new City of Yes rules, he could have elected to build a small apartment building at the location, but opted for townhouses to keep the property more in line with the rest of the neighborhood.<\/p>\n
Stout also argued that if local builders don\u2019t develop these types of properties, builders from other boroughs, with less concern for the existing neighborhood, would swoop in to build apartments.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we were to do the impossible and say no builders on Staten Island are going to do these projects, which would never happen, we got 100% of the people to say we\u2019re not doing it, you know what\u2019s going to happen? A developer from Brooklyn, Queens or the Bronx is going to come in and absolutely develop it,\u201d Stout said. <\/p>\n
\u201cAll the other borough developers are used to building apartment buildings. It will come before your eyes if you make all the Staten Island developers say we\u2019re not doing it,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Residents in attendance did not appear moved by Stout\u2019s testimony, with several taking the mic to voice their concerns about how the project would impact the character and safety of their neighborhood.<\/p>\n
\u201cReplacing a single-family home with housing for 10 families drastically changes the dynamics of our street. Ten new families could easily introduce 20 or more additional vehicles, increased traffic, noise and congestion. With that level of density, how can we maintain the same level of safety for our children,\u201d said one resident. \u201cHow can I feel confident letting my kids continue to play outside the way that they do today?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis fight is not about me because I\u2019m 51 years old and I\u2019ve lived a life. This fight is about my children and their children… This is for my grandchildren. They\u2019re going to come here…and they\u2019re going to have an opportunity, hopefully, to live in a community that\u2019s close,\u201d said another. \u201cThe bottom line here, in my mind, is greed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greed was a common aspersion cast toward Stout throughout the meeting, with one resident going so far as to say, \u201cIf you were my son, what I would say to you to do, I would say you need to make a decision based on integrity, not money.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"NWS](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/TMOGDEIVTJHPFEZ5Y3DAXBZAWE.JPG\")
A police officer directs a member of the audience to leave a Community Board 3 meeting attended by residents opposed to a local developer\u2019s plans to demolish a one-family home on the corner of Oakdale Street and Ramblewood Avenue in Great Kills and construct five two-family homes on the lot. The meeting was held at the CYO MIV Center at Mount Loretto, in Pleasant Plains on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. Owen Reiter<\/p>\n
The meeting became heated at times, with members of the crowd shouting over each other at various points, community board officials needing to rein in the discussion and one resident needing to be escorted out following an outburst.<\/p>\n
Despite all the commotion, the Department of Buildings has already approved an application<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n