Community development is the collective shaping of everything related to neighborhood life
Kelly Vilar, CEO of Staten Island Urban Center
Community Development includes everything related to neighborhood life - from our built environment (housing, schools, health centers, recreation facilities, libraries, parks etc) to all the services (education, healthcare, transportation, sanitation, judicial, etc) we need access to. If we want great neighborhoods, then we we must be involved in making them so - this is community development through community involvement.
Preparedness actions for coastal flood-prone regions and low-lying areas:
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Environmental Justice Coalition
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Waterfront Access, Divide & Potential
Multimedia Art Experience
at Governors Island
Opening May 5, 2023 Through October 31, 2023, Staten Island Urban Center (SIUC) debuts We Are A Waterfront: Access, Divide & Potential. This public multimedia art experience foundationally centers on Staten Island’s north shore waterfront as a place in pursuit of social change and environmental justice, takes place at Governors Island’s Nolan Park House 5B. Presenting Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays 11am to 5pm, the exhibit offers art, music, and opportunities for visitors to examine the struggle, potential, creativity and beauty of waterfront neighborhoods when community voices are at the center, fighting for environmental and social justice.
“We know that our city includes some of the most incredible public waterfronts in the world, but we also know that the benefits of incredible waterfront design have not been, equitably, equally or even fairly realized, so we need to change that.” said Kelly Vilar, curator of We Are a Waterfront & CEO of the Staten Island Urban Center. “Our hope is that this exhibit challenges this view and helps to activate the average New Yorker into being a voice for change.”
“We know that our city includes some of the most incredible public waterfronts in the world, but we also know that the benefits of incredible waterfront design have not been, equitably, equally or even fairly realized, so we need to change that.” said Kelly Vilar, curator of We Are a Waterfront & CEO of the Staten Island Urban Center. “Our hope is that this exhibit challenges this view and helps to activate the average New Yorker into being a voice for change.”
Outdoor Exhibition at Tompkinsville Park
Many thanks to our wonderful Staten Island North Shore waterfront community on lifting the community voice on the need for comprehensive planning to make our beautiful waterfront accessible, resilient and vibrant at the Waterfront Access & Divide Outdoor Photo Exhibition in Tompkinsville Park 2022 supported by Staten Island Arts through NY Arts Council Grant, NY Renews through the Tides Foundation and Staten Island Foundation. We also launch and celebrate the official birth of the Staten Island Urban Center for Community Development and Action funded by the Staten Island Foundation.
Staten Island needs bold climate investments now (opinion)
Last week, an intrepid group of Staten Islanders braved freezing temperatures at 6 a.m. and boarded a bus for Albany to rally outside the capital to urge legislators to include $15 billion in climate investments in this year’s budget. (Courtesy of Treeage/NY Renews)
By Kelly Vilar and Justin Wood
Last week, an intrepid group of Staten Islanders braved freezing temperatures at 6 a.m., boarded a bus for Albany, and joined hundreds of New Yorkers from across the state at a rally outside the capital. Why? We want Governor Hochul and our state legislators to include $15 billion in climate investments in this year’s budget, being negotiated over the next two weeks.
Staten Island isn’t often depicted as a hotbed of environmentalism, but it should be a poster child for environmental justice, renewable energy and green jobs. Read full article here.
The Healing Arch at Tompkinsville Park
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The Healing Arch
On Wednesday, June 30th the Friends of Tompkinsville Park held a ribbon cutting for The Healing Arch, an 8.5 ft metal sculpture made of stainless steel created by artist Musa Hixson. The Healing Arch represents a community campaign for Peace, Justice and Healing for the Tompkinsville area. This project was funded by Citizens Committee for NYC through a donor advised fund from Bank of America and Partnerships For Parks. It was produced with the backbone support of the Staten Island Urban Center, Canvas Institute for Arts, Culture and Civic Engagement, NYC Department of Parks Arts in the Parks Program, Staten Island Arts and our Tompkinsville Community. 
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Our Urban Town: Reimagining Staten Island's Waterfront Community
Short documentary on the plight of Staten Island's north shore development and community driven ideas for a MERC Plan
(Maritime Education, Recreation & Cultural corridor)
Community Voices on Rezoning
Post Election Discussion on Rezoning 2018 - Let's Rebuild Cromwell Community Coalition
February 26, 2019 Testimony to the NYC Planning Commission on the Bay Street Corridor Rezoning
Honorable members of the NYC Planning Commission, The Let’s Rebuild Cromwell Community Coalition LRCCC) which has convened and discussed the Bay Street Corridor Rezoning with hundreds of individuals and many community and church groups throughout the north shore since 2016, share with you our most urgent recommendations based on those discussions as you are all important actors in this ULURP process impacting the lives and livelihood of the people of Staten Island’s north shore. If we are to rezone, it must be worth it to the community that exists here now and be able to accommodate future residents and businesses. We believe that this rezoning, unlike no other in the city is set to deliver in one fell swoop, one of the most valuable waterfront communities to private development in the history of New York City development. That being said, the exchange of community benefits outside of affordable units being produced need to be of equal caliber. If we are giving up billions in waterfront value, then there should be billions in investment in the targeted and surrounding communities. In summary, we recommend if this rezoning is to be approved, it needs to do so with the following conditions:
From the Let’s Rebuild Cromwell Community Coalition 2019 -Our district needs the deepest affordability. With a third of our residents of low income and rent burdened, it’s the responsibility of government to ensure housing stabilization of affordable housing (25% at 60% AMI and 20% at 40% AMI). These formulas are more consistent with the economic demographics of existing residents in the Bay Street Corridor area. The homeless crisis affecting Staten islanders causes the worst hardships in the city as we have the least resources of affordable housing, rent controlled units or other tenant protections and subsidies. While the MIH program is not our preferred means to achieve affordable housing, we realize that no matter the community voice, the city is committed to this program as the means for achieving affordable housing goals. We believe the city should look at developing community land trusts to build 100% affordable housing as a more viable opportunity. In addition, we believe that any and all city properties should not be given up to private development but instead be used for affordable housing development or to create more programs like the federal ELLA Programs under HPD that offer the most diverse of incomes. Also, since most affordable housing on Staten Island is provided through small homeowners and small property owners, we believe there should be more programs to protect homeowners from bad tenants. We even believe that there may be innovative ways to use small property owners in the aid of individuals and families who are homeless. Finally, we believe achieving affordable housing through MIH or any mixed-income residential development will also require a public relations campaign. As evidenced with URBY, the optics, negative press and the lack of leadership on how such programs should work has left a bad taste and fodder for those who do not support affordable housing. Negative rhetoric about low income tenants causes a bad reputation for Staten Island, thereby influencing a lull in the attraction of market rate tenants. -We believe city-owned properties should not be used for private development. City-owned properties should be developed for public use such as public housing, schools, or parks. Staten Island has limited public spaces with limited opportunities for developing space and facilities for the public good. We recommend using Lots A and B1 of the Bay Street Corridor Rezoning as sorely needed open sports fields (much like Miller Field in mid-island). Creating a field would also help alleviate resiliency issues our community experienced during Hurricanes like Irene and Sandy. Overall we believe building housing on the shoreline would be irresponsible and quite conflicting with the city’s own public policy on resiliency post-Hurricane Sandy. Our borough does not need another Build It Back program scenario. In addition, we recommend that the 3 properties unattached to the continuous Bay Street Rezoning should be separated from the rezoning and treated as individual parcels in search of variances as needed as they have no relationship to the proposed rezoned corridor. These properties should be reviewed in the context of overall north shore development and should include a community driven disposition process. -We believe that the rezoning should be in concert and directed by a viable plan for economic and community development such as the Maritime Education Recreation Culture corridor aka MERC. “The MERC corridor provides an opportunity to have Staten Island define development, rather than to have development define Staten Island.” Kelly Vilar With continuously delayed opening of the Empire Outlet that has gone from high end stores to anyone who will sign a lease; a failed observation wheel project and an already crumbling infrastructure with gentrification already creeping into the community, we believe the MERC offers a plan that cuts through many of these issues because it’s responsible development with input from communities that are invested in its success because it benefits the existing communities of the north shore, Staten Island and the city overall. We propose the MERC Corridor plan--- Maritime Education, Recreation & Cultural Corridor. While the MERC is not a housing plan, we believe it could be a viable plan for community benefits that complement the Borough of Staten Island. MERC is a plan to create and enhance our north shore waterfront as an enclave for Maritime uses for education, recreation and waterfront heritage cultural opportunities. The fact is our north shore has all the makings of MERC and simply needs incentives to further these opportunities which are already at the threshold of new maritime-related industries that offer promise for economic development. MERC fits in nicely with existing proposals and plans for the continuous walkable north shore waterfront, bike paths and destinations for tourists and residents with much-improved wayfinding and purposeful development. The north shore is primed to be a MERC corridor. Our need now is to be intentional in planning and attracting public and private funding support for such opportunities. MARITIME EDUCATION: The north shore is home to several maritime education opportunities with programs at McKee High School, Harborview Elementary, and the coming of the Harbor middle school at Fort Wadsworth which could be the start of a Maritime Education Complex at Fort Wadsworth -a site where the U.S. Coast Guard is housed and includes underdeveloped federal property. Staten Island could easily become the maritime education capital for the northeast as there are various economic indicators pointing to a huge need to make up a very needed skilled workforce. For example, according to the NY Dept of Labor, New Yorkers only capture about 12% of the NY Harbor workforce. This is especially troubling as these are career-level jobs with multiple entry-level opportunities. We believe there is room for opportunity to expand SUNY Maritime, NY Harbor High School and others to train pilots, captains, deckhands, and others for maritime careers. MARITIME RECREATION: The north shore is home to several existing opportunities for expansion of maritime recreation such SI Kayaking, Lyons Pool, the potential of a new Parks Department indoor pool, SI Sea Scouts, Gotham Whale, Citi Trek Tours, SI Fishing Association and many others. We recommend the creation of open fields, hydroponic farms, boating and fishing piers throughout the north shore line to complement MERC related activities (improving the community uses for Pier 1 and other pier locations outside of the BSC area from Fort Wadsworth to Snug Harbor to Mariner’s Harbor). As for Cromwell Recreation Center, we recommend the city not view Cromwell as a community benefit, but as a straightforward responsibility of the city of New York and the replacement of a valuable city asset totally outside the purview of the Bay Street Corridor Rezoning. We believe Cromwell Recreation must be built as a state of the art facility regardless of the approval of this rezoning. (See more under Aquatic Center section of this recommendations report.) We recommend Cromwell be complemented with sports fields, preferably lots A and B1 of the BSC as the community sorely lacks public space and programming outdoor sports for soccer, football, baseball, lacrosse, field hockey and others. We believe there is potential to become not only public facilities, but also locations for major sporting events for high school and college level games with easy public transportation and vehicle access. We recommend the transitioning of Lyons Pool into a pool in the summer and hockey rink in the winter like Lasker Rink in Central Park-Manhattan or at least find a location for an outdoor rink as none exists for sports level competitions in the borough. There are limited numbers of youth from the north shore exposed to sports such as these as facilities and public programs for them do not exist on the north shore or are cost prohibitive. Finally, on recreation, we recommend that both Tompkinsville and Tappen Park receive future planning enhanced by MERC related goals and significant community benefit investments for capital and programmatic needs as we view these parks as important centerpieces for community gatherings that will contribute greatly to both community and economic development uses. MARITIME CULTURE: On the cultural front, we believe we are on the verge of creating a viable cultural maritime community corridor that promotes a beautiful and responsible waterfront heritage which could someday be an example for the rest of NYC waterfronts. We are surrounded by the National Lighthouse Museum, Noble Maritime, the gorgeous Snug Harbor, Staten Island Museum, Museum of Maritime Navigation and Communication, and so much more. We believe there is room for providing waterfront for historic ships that not only provide the training ground for maritime education but can also create a tourist attraction (at a much lower cost than the Observation Wheel). Recent local events acknowledge unofficially that we are a MERC and are already attracting new opportunities such as the Billion Oyster Project’s work in Staten Island public schools and the Urban Assembly NY Harbor Schools ’s display at the Ferry Terminal. There are also opportunities to attract local, state and federal funding as every level of government has a special interest in developing NY Harbor. From Snug Harbor to Fort Wadsworth, the shoreline is filled with all sorts of opportunities for development with a variety of funding source potentials such as brownfield development opportunities to living breakwaters and untapped public and private environmental funding. There is room for restorative marine biology and infrastructural waterfront changes that could make the north shore a model for environmental clean up as we are home to one of the most contaminated shorelines on the east coast. Let’s use this opportunity to clean up our waterfront. -Build an Aquatic Center in the footprint of the Former Observation Wheel. With the failure of the Observation Wheel, we believe there is an opportunity to merge a negative development action with a positive one. In one of the last Mayor town hall, Mayor De Blasio promised the long-awaited indoor pool for Staten Island. We recommend the placement of the pool in the footprint of the Wheel as a major aquatic center. As the Borough President Oddo suggested, this pool could be a revenue generator much like Ocean Breeze sharing its time and space as a public facility for all. Moreover, it would be in a location consistent with the MERC, Cromwell and the potential of other recreational spaces along and adjacent to the waterfront. The aquatic center in this location as a state of the art facility with outdoor playgrounds could attract competitions nationally and at the college level. Additionally, if we are in fact aligning our land use to a MERC corridor- access to adequate swimming facilities will be tantamount. Additionally, investment in a state of the art aquatic and recreation centers with easy transportation access by virtue of being near the major transportation hub--the Staten Island Ferry and Bus Terminal, it becomes a location where all New Yorkers and out of town travelers could easily get to leaving room for revenue generation through competitive sports of all kinds. -We recommend the deep investment into new and existing schools not just as of need and right for all to receive a quality education, but also in response to the economic development goals of the BSC plan. Promotion of good schools in areas where investments will be made by market-rate buyers is key. We believe through the rezoning, there is an opportunity to invest in existing schools; to create and continue the encouragement of partnerships for expansion with off-island schools such as the NY Harbor School, Women’s Leadership Academy; and to develop the north shore as an educational model of schools attracting talented and diverse faculty, school administrators and resources. We believe if our schools are attractive, our communities will be attractive. -We recommend unequivocally that infrastructural guarantees and commitments to Staten Island must be in place before any rezoning is approved. Transportation (to include adequate paths for biking and pedestrians and improved wayfinding), schools, libraries, public recreation, environmental protection, uniformed services, and other relevant city services must be committed with a guaranteed city commitment of adequate resources to adhere to the needs and results of the Bay Street Corridor Rezoning and the change in demographics it will cause. The Let’s Rebuild Cromwell Community Coalition proposes the designation of the north shore Maritime Education & Recreation Cultural Corridor, also known as MERC all along the north shore border of Staten Island.
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M.E.R.C.
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