City is eyeing renovation of 2,500 homes on Staten Island’s waterfront

New York City is taking a new turn on Staten Island’s North Shore, trading failed tourism bets for a massive neighborhood buildout.

The New York City Economic Development Corporation and Council Member Kamillah Hanks revealed a far-reaching vision to transform Empire Outlets and the former New York Wheel site into a mixed-use neighborhood with as many as 2,500 new homes. The vision is a major change for a waterfront defined more by stalled projects than momentum.

The plan, which was developed through months of community workshops with more than a thousand residents, is a departure from the city’s decade-long effort to attract visitors to St. George. Instead, the emphasis is on housing across income brackets, parks, cultural programming and retail that serves locals.

Staten Island North Shore (EDC)

According to NYCEDC, Empire Outlets — once marketed as a waterfront retail destination but long plagued by tenant turnover and inconsistent foot traffic — would be repurposed adjacent to the Wheel property to house housing and revitalize public space. FXCollaborative renderings show a pedestrian-friendly waterfront stitched together with lawns, playgrounds and a rebuilt boulevard.

The first step would be ULURP; The environmental review is scheduled for early next year and the formal land use process would begin later that year. That timeline sets the stage for several more rounds of public input — and plenty of political research — before the shovels hit the ground.

City officials say they are responding directly to residents’ demands for reliable public access, youth-focused programming, community space and better transportation connections.

A redesigned NYC Ferry route, expected by the end of the year, would connect St. George to Brooklyn and Wall Street. Other ongoing steps include upgrades to the Staten Island University Hospital Community Park, progress on the next phase of Lighthouse Point and the debut of the Mary Cali Dalton Recreation Center next year.

The announcement builds on the Adams administration’s North Shore Action Plan, a $400 million initiative launched in 2023 that promised 2,400 homes, 50 acres of open space and thousands of jobs.

For Staten Island, the latest proposal marks the city’s next attempt to reclaim two of its most visible waterfront locations after years of false starts.