After more than a year of community opposition to a commercial development planned for a site next to a wetland area in Mariners Harbor, the biggest obstacle the developers now face may be in the form of a reptile.

It’s believed that the eastern mud turtle, which is on the New York State list of endangered species, may reside in the area behind United Cerebral Palsy at 2324 Forest Ave. — where there are plans to build 226,000 square feet of commercial space, which would house a BJ’s Wholesale Club, a gas station, a supermarket and other retail, and would include 838 parking spaces.

By Annalise Knudson. 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.

On July 7, 1997, roughly nine acres of land in the neighborhood of Graniteville were assigned to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. This area of land is within the site known as Graniteville Swamp, which is five times the size of the acreage assigned to the Parks Department.  On June 1, 2000, another addition was made to what is now known as Graniteville Swamp Park.  This little sliver of land, in addition to the original portion obtained by the Parks Department, account for close to nothing when they are compared to the size of the swamp.

By Anthony Licciardello. Read the full article here.