Mall to be built on 7.7 acres of vacant woodland. Guido Passarelli sought Planning Commission approval to construct a 136,271- square-foot shopping and office center on a 7.7-acre site of undeveloped woodland in the Charleston section of Staten Island. The five proposed buildings would contain a home improvement store, a discount department store, retail outlets and office space, and would include a 454-space parking lot. Access to the site, which is bound by Veterans Road West, Tyrellan Avenue, the Korean War Veterans Parkway and the West Shore Expressway, would be along Veterans Road West.

Passarelli’s development required a special permit to allow the large retail use and approvals for the removal of trees and grading. The site’s existing 426 trees would be removed and replaced with 277 trees within the parking lot, sidewalk and along the setback areas. (more…)

Eric Palatnik testifies before the Board of Standards and Appeals. Image credit: BSA

Board approved construction after assurances from FDNY.  On January 13, 2015 the Board of Standards and Appeals approved a special permit for Carlo Saccheri to construct a two-story commercial building at 44 Marjorie Street in Charleston, Staten Island.  The building will be used for the receiving and storage of plumbing supplies, as well as associated office space and commercial truck parking.

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Companies fought over whose signs were grandfathered. BSA denied Lamar Outdoor Advertising’s appeal of Buildings’ decision to revoke permits for two back-to-back billboards at 50 South Bridge Street in Charleston, Staten Island.

The City’s zoning code prohibits advertising signs within 200 feet of an arterial highway unless it is on a highway that crosses New York City limits within a one-half-mile distance from the sign. The code also prohibits a sign within 500 feet of another advertising sign.

In 1994, a prior owner of 50 South Bridge Street obtained permits for two non-advertising signs to announce the business located on the lot. After receiving the permits, the owner illegally converted the business signs to billboards. In April 2004, after Lamar obtained ownership, Buildings determined that the signs had been converted without permits and were only 320 feet away from another advertising sign owned by Communiquez, LLC. (more…)

Rendering of new senior housing complex by landmarked Kreischer House./Image Credit: Victorio Associates Architects and LPC

Landmarks expressed support for the proposed senior housing complex but raised some concerns regarding the new buildings’ impact on the Kreischer House site.  On February 4, 2020, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing on a Certificate of Appropriateness for three actions to facilitate the development of a new senior housing complex, comprised of eleven buildings, surrounding the Kreischer House. The Kreischer House is located at 4500 Arthur Kill Road in Charlestown, Staten Island. The house and a portion of the land it sits on is landmarked. The project site, which is a total of 206,821 square feet of land, includes the Kreischer House and the landmarked site. The landmarked site, which is 81,102 square feet of land, is located on the northeast portion of the project site. The project site is on the east side of Arthur Kill Road between Englewood Avenue and Tiller Court. The MTA Charleston Bus Depot is located directly south of the project site and the Colonial Rifle and Pistol Club is located to the east of the project site.

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Applicant claimed that a conforming residential development would not yield a reasonable return given the lot’s irregular shape, location, and sloping grade. Joseph Maza applied to BSA for a variance to build a one-story commercial building with 21 accessory parking spaces at 4553 Arthur Kill Road in Charleston, a Staten Island neighborhood located just north of the Outerbridge Crossing. The site was located within the Special South Richmond Development District, a district established in 1975 to guide the development of the southern portion of Staten Island. The proposal required a variance since Maza intended the building to be occupied by retail stores, which are prohibited within the R3-2 residential zoning district.

Maza claimed that the lot’s irregular triangle shape made it difficult to construct a conforming residential development, and that the lot’s 15-ft. upward slope, beginning at its Arthur Kill Road frontage, would increase sewer line installation costs. The proposed commercial development avoided these added costs since an on-site septic system would be utilized, eliminating the need for a new 700-ft. sewer line. Maza also claimed that a nearby 87,000 sq.ft. bus depot would render the site unmarketable for residential use given the depot’s task of servicing several hundred buses daily, seven days a week. The depot, Maza added, would increase traffic around Arthur Kill Road, a 60- ft. wide arterial road that provided access to New Jersey by way of the Outerbridge Crossing. The traffic-choked road, which touched the site, would further lessen the prospect of successfully marketing a conforming residential development. (more…)