A group of activists gathered at Staten Island Borough Hall Monday afternoon to protest against a BJ’s Wholesale development currently being built on a portion of the Graniteville wetlands.

The group of about a dozen demonstrators, organized by Gabriella Velardi-Ward, the leader of the Staten Island Coalition of Wetlands and Forests, marched to the offices of Councilwoman Debi Rose (D-North Shore) and State Sen. Diane Savino (D-North Shore) and called out the politicians for a perceived lack of action to protect the natural area from development, just weeks after construction prep that included the removal of trees began at the embattled site.

By Joseph Ostapiuk. Read the full article here.

The Graniteville Wetland located along South Avenue in Staten Island has been a point of contention for residents who do not want the BJs Wholesale Club project to go forward. This project would cut down about 1,800 trees, and destroy the wetland that people living in the area, environmental conservationists, scientists, and others have stated protects the local area from flooding.

The community, which is defined by the USEPA as an Environmental Justice Community, was not consulted prior to the green-lighting of the project by the NYS DEC, and a public hearing was said to be not warranted. This is despite the receipt by the DEC of 1,700 letters, from both community members and concerned citizens, scientists, and politicians from around the country. It is also despite the fact that the Census showed a population of less than 5,000 residents in the area, making the number of letters received over one third of the number of residents.

By Staten Islander News. Read the full article here.

In this northwest corner of the Forgotten Borough, Velardi-Ward is one of dozens of Staten Islanders who have been waging a battle largely outside of the wider city spotlight, a stand against City Hall that they feel is a matter of life and death for the people who live in this part of the city.

By Alexis Sottile. Read the full article here.

The Graniteville Forest and Wetlands is a natural area that includes salt marsh, a freshwater wetlands and forest on Staten Island’s northwest corner.

Bordered by South Avenue, Forest Road and Goethals Road North, this natural area provides a habitat for a wide variety of wildlife, from forest dwellers such as raccoons, opossums and squirrels on the northern end, to the crabs, shellfish and shorebirds of the salt marsh on the southern side.

A freshwater marsh and moist woodlands fill the space between the forest and salt marsh. Ecosystems like the Graniteville Forest and Wetlands are essential to the well-being of the surrounding communities – both natural and human. Salt marshes like this one are among the most prolific ecosystems, producing as much as 10 tons of organic matter per acre per year. This provides food and resources, as well as spawning grounds for the saltwater community farther out. Shorebirds, waterfowl and red-wing blackbirds nest there.

By Clay Wollney. Read the full article here.

City Planning approved a special permit and City Map amendment to allow for the development of 5 one-story retail establishments in Mariner’s Harbor, Staten Island. On September 6, 2017, the City Planning Commission issued a favorable report on the South Avenue Retail Development. The South Avenue Retail Development involves 2 land use actions: a special permit to allow retail establishments above 10,000 square feet, and a City Map amendment to alter and remove unbuilt streets mapped over wetland areas. The Commission found both land use actions appropriate, subject to specific conditions.

The project area, the region southwest of Forest and South Avenues, is currently zoned as an M1-1 district. M1-1 zoning allows “light industrial and commercial uses as-of-right up to a floor area ratio of 1.0.” Commercial use in excess of 10,000 square feet is not allowed as-of-right, but can be overcome with a special permit from the Commission pursuant to Section 74-922 of the Zoning Resolution.

By Shelby Hoffman. Read the full article here.

NY/NJ Baykeeper would like to take this opportunity to comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) prepared for the proposed South Avenue Retail Development in the Graniteville neighborhood of Staten Island.

According to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), an environmental impact statement “shall provide full and fair discussion of significant environmental impacts and shall inform decision makers and the public of the reasonable alternatives which would avoid or minimize adverse impacts orenhance the quality of the human environment.” The following comments will reflect our belief that the DEIS prepared for South Avenue Retail fails to meet this very basic direction by using a similar build option as its No Action alternative, rather than the current as is condition of the wooded land. Using two similar build options, with no other alternatives, in the DEIS deprives the decision makers and public a meaningful comparison to consider in regard to this project site’s impact on their neighborhood.

By Debbie Mans. Read the full letter here.