 Borough President Vito Fossella announced that he is filing a Uniform Land Use Review Procedure to eliminate the zoning provision permitting the construction of a 160-bed homeless shelter 4934 Arthur Kill Road in Charleston.
The site of the homeless shelter is zoned for manufacturing, also known as an “M-Zone.” Under the city’s zoning resolution, hotels in light manufacturing districts typically require special permits, but an exemption exists for facilities that will be used for temporary housing assistance, like homeless shelters. This exclusion has protected the Charleston project from a process of greater public scrutiny. Borough President Fossella referred to it as a “loophole” and argued that it is necessary to push for greater borough control over land-use decisions. His application to the city would require a full land-use review and feedback from the community -- “a true representation and reflection of what the people of Staten Island deserve, expect and want.” “More and more, the people of Staten Island are feeling as if instead of City Hall or Manhattan, we have Buckingham Palace in London of 250 years ago -- just being given things that we don’t want,” said Borough President Fossella at a press conference in Borough Hall. Borough President Fossella said he held productive conversations with then-Mayor Eric Adams when the shelter was first proposed. Mayor Adams told Borough President Fossella that the site wouldn’t be used as a homeless shelter, however, those plans are now moving forward again under Mayor Zohran Mamdani. “We’ve been fighting now for a good year-and-a-half,” said Borough President Fossella. “The people of Charleston don’t deserve it. We try to fight back every which way we can and we will continue to do so. We will continue to stand up for the principles that created this country 250 years ago where people have a voice and they matter.” Comments are closed.
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