Editor’s note: We have covered the other concerns the borough president has raised about this homeless shelter, which would be the first and only city-run homeless shelter on the island. It may be the only shelter that is on Staten Island at all, though there may be a few churches that offer shelter. There are a number of street homeless on Staten Island, including families with children, as determined by school enrollments and homeless surveys. In fact, one outof every eighteen school children lacks a stable housing situation. This proposed shelter is far from bus stops and other public transportation options, but it is somewhat out of the way and not in the center of any communities.
BP Fossella Raises Concerns About Gas Station Being Developed Alongside Charleston Homeless Shelter
Borough President Fossella penned a letter to NYC DOT concerning the current design of gas station featuring excessive curb cuts, and its potential connection to Charleston shelter
Staten Island, NY — Borough President Vito Fossella announced today that he has penned a letter to New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn in opposition to the current design of a new gas station being developed in Charleston, with concerns about traffic density and safety, and its potential connection with the neighboring incoming homeless shelter.
BP Fossella has long been in fierce opposition to plans to develop a homeless shelter at 4934 Arthur Kill Road – especially now, as the City is developing a 160-bed single-adult men’s shelter at the site.
The Borough President recently learned that at 291 Richmond Valley Road, at the corner of Arthur Kill Road and Richmond Valley Road and immediately next to the proposed shelter, a gas station is being developed that seeks to install an excessive number of curb cuts – six along Richmond Valley Road, and one along Arthur Kill Road.
And, to our understanding, while the gas station and shelter projects are moving forward under two separate applications on two separate properties, they are both owned by the same person or group.
Suspicions have now arisen that one or more of the curb cuts on Richmond Valley Road will be used to create an interior roadway – akin to a long driveway – that will connect Richmond Valley Road to the proposed homeless shelter right next to the gas station. If true, it will enable someone approaching from Richmond Valley Road to turn into the gas station and, for whatever reason, continue driving past the gas station and into the grounds of the homeless shelter.
“The request for six curb cuts along Richmond Valley Road, especially the three 15-foot-wide cuts, raises suspicion that they will be used to form some type of interior road to provide access to the proposed shelter from Richmond Valley Road,” Borough President Fossella said. “This is totally unacceptable and must be rejected, immediately.”
A Statement from Borough President Vito Fossella Calling for a Full Public Hearing on Charleston Homeless Shelter
Staten Island, NY – Borough President Vito Fossella issued the following statement calling upon the City to conduct a full public hearing pertaining to the proposed homeless shelter in Charleston:
“Historically, these types of projects would require a public hearing. While COVID changed the rules for such hearings, COVID is long gone. We are calling upon the City to host a public hearing to allow residents most affected by this proposed homeless shelter the opportunity to voice their opinions and concerns.
Pursuant to section 21-324 of the NYC Administrative Code, the City must host a public information session in the community in which a homeless shelter is being proposed, and afford the public an opportunity to comment. And, at this point in time, the City has yet to give residents an opportunity to share their views.
Our residents do not deserve this shelter, but they certainly deserve the opportunity to be heard. And, they deserve to have their voices heard as soon as possible.
We deserve a public hearing to allow the people most affected to voice their opinions. If not, the contract should not be registered and, therefore, the facility – that nobody supports – should not open.”
Banner Image: Homeless tents. Image Credit – Nathan Dumlao
About The Author
The Office of the Borough President has a responsibility to advocate for the entire Borough of Staten Island and all its residents, and represents the Borough's interests within City government.
The Borough President communicates directly with the Mayor and the City Council to emphasize Staten Island’s budget priorities.
In addition, the Borough President is responsible for reviewing major land use decisions and proposing sites for city facilities within the Borough.
As the chair of the Borough Board, the Borough President leads Staten Island’s City Council delegation and Community Board chairs in the process of reviewing and approving the transfer of public properties to private use. The Borough President’s Office houses the Borough's Topographical Bureau, which maintains the borough’s official maps and assigns street addresses.
The Borough President monitors the delivery of city services on Staten Island, and acts as a liaison between residents and city agencies when problems arise to devise solutions. The Borough President is also responsible for appointing one member to the Panel for Educational Policy and one member to the City Planning Commission, as well as some 150 members to Staten Island’s three community boards.
[…] police presence and for institutional changes to State criminal law. Editor’s note: The Borough President has also been very vocal recently about the planned homeless shelter slated to be built on a vacant lot in Charleston on the island. The borough president is continuing to […]
[…] to Charleston Homeless Shelter Editor’s note: We’ve previously detailed the opposition to this Staten Island shelter by the borough president, along with highlighting the need for a shelter for women and children on the island (women fleeting […]