NYC Council Unveils 5,000-Unit North Shore Plan to Rival New Jersey Waterfronts
The New York City Council released a new development plan, North Shore NYC, aiming to construct over 5,000 apartments across Tompkinsville, Stapleton, and St. George. The proposal seeks to transform the borough's underutilized waterfront into a mixed-use 'downtown' area, explicitly modeling its density and speed on successful New Jersey communities like Hoboken and Jersey City. Council Speaker Julie Menin framed the initiative as a proactive land use strategy to reclaim control from mayoral overrule powers, while Councilmember Kamillah Hanks argued that current zoning restrictions have left the area vacant and forced residents to seek housing across the state line.
Key points
- The North Shore NYC plan targets the Tompkinsville, Stapleton, and St. George neighborhoods for the construction of more than 5,000 new residential units.
- The proposal includes mixed-use developments featuring shopping, dining, and outdoor spaces, aiming to create a functional downtown core near the Staten Island Ferry.
- Councilmember Kamillah Hanks cited New Jersey's rapid waterfront development as a benchmark, noting that Staten Island's North Shore has 21,000 residents compared to Hoboken's 60,000 despite similar land area.
- The plan proposes allowing buildings up to 14 stories tall, exceeding current zoning limits, to address the housing shortage and prevent residents from moving to New Jersey.
- Specific sites for development include a city-owned lot on Castleton Avenue, formerly an abandoned hospital, and underutilized commercial strips along Front and Bay streets in Stapleton.
- The initiative is part of a broader Council effort to assert land use authority after ballot measures granted the mayor's office the power to overrule Council decisions on housing rezonings.
Background
This development follows a period of legislative changes in New York City that reduced the Council's autonomy over land use decisions, prompting members to release their own proactive plans. Previous attempts to revitalize the North Shore, including an outlet mall and a Ferris wheel, failed to generate significant housing or economic activity. The current plan addresses a sharp decline in vacant apartments in the area, which dropped from 8.4% in 2019 to 4.4% in 2024, indicating tightening housing markets in the borough.
Why it matters
The plan represents a significant shift in New York City's approach to addressing the housing crisis by targeting underutilized industrial and commercial zones for high-density residential development. By explicitly benchmarking against New Jersey's success, the Council is signaling a willingness to override traditional zoning constraints to increase supply. This move could set a precedent for other boroughs seeking to bypass mayoral overrule powers and accelerate construction in areas with existing infrastructure but low population density.
What to watch
The next steps involve the Council's task force evaluating the specific sites identified in the report, particularly the Castleton Avenue lot and the Stapleton commercial strips. The plan will likely face scrutiny regarding the feasibility of the proposed 14-story height limits and the economic viability of the mixed-use components. Councilmember Hanks has indicated that the plan is the culmination of two decades of advocacy, suggesting that further public hearings and potential rezoning applications will follow in the coming months.
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