2,500 new homes proposed for New York Wheel site on Staten Island
All renderings courtesy of FXCollaborative
Up to 2,500 new homes could come to Staten Island’s North Shore under a new city plan to finally reimagine the long-vacant New York Wheel site. Last week, the city’s Economic Development Corporation revealed a plan to transform two sites in St. George, the Empire Outlets retail complex and the former site of a planned Ferris Wheel, into a mixed-use waterfront neighborhood with thousands of apartments, open space, retail, and community amenities. The plan would mark the long-awaited next chapter for the property, once slated to host the world’s tallest Ferris wheel before the project was scrapped in 2018.
The plan complements the Staten Island North Shore Action Plan, unveiled by Mayor Eric Adams in September 2023. The project includes a $400 million investment to deliver 2,400 new homes serving a wide range of income levels and life stages, more than 20 acres of public space, and over 7,500 “family-sustaining” jobs to the former Wheel site and the Empire Outlets.
Projected to generate an estimated $3.8 billion in economic impact over the next 30 years, the initiative would also restore public access to two major waterfront open spaces on the North Shore. The development is planned near the Staten Island Ferry terminal. Plus, a new NYC Ferry route launching on December 8 will connect Staten Island and Brooklyn.
The plan is the result of five months of extensive public outreach led by NYCEDC, during which residents overwhelmingly urged the city to shift away from the previous tourism- and entertainment-focused vision and instead pursue a vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood.
“Building on the significant progress achieved through the Staten Island North Shore Action Plan over the past two years, NYCEDC and the City recognized the need for a fresh approach to Empire Outlets and the former New York Wheel site, one that puts Staten Islanders first,” Kimball said.
“After months of meaningful engagement with the North Shore community, we are proud to unveil a new vision for a vibrant, mixed-use waterfront neighborhood, with new homes, open space, and retail just steps from the ferry.”
One of the sites was originally slated to host the world’s tallest Ferris wheel, standing 630 feet tall, but work was halted in May 2017 after more than five years of development. Fully funded by private investors, $450 million had already been invested in the roughly $1 billion project, which was intended to open in October 2016, as 6sqft previously reported.
In May 2019, plans for a scaled-down version were announced, but that vision never came to fruition.
NYCEDC plans to continue engaging Staten Island residents as the project moves forward.
The initiative requires a rezoning, and NYCEDC says it will enter the uniform land use review procedure (ULURP) in the first half of 2026, with approval the following the year.
According to the Staten Island Advance, the city could choose developers for the projects in 2028 and break ground in 2030.
Other key components of the North Shore Action Plan include the Residences at Lighthouse Point, a mixed-use development on the Stapleton waterfront. The project rehabilitated and restored four historic buildings, transforming them into residential units as part of the ongoing waterfront revitalization.
A city-owned sanitation garage at 539 Jersey Street on the North Shore will be transformed into 232 affordable homes, a grocery store, amenities, and open space. Additionally, a mixed-income housing complex with more than 500 apartments, set to become the city’s largest mass timber residential development, was announced in May. The project will use mass timber to reduce its carbon footprint and speed up construction.
“From Tompkinsville to St. George, the North Shore is the beating heart of Staten Island. With the bold new vision we’re unveiling today, we’ll bring thousands of new homes, vibrant public space, and bustling storefronts to the area. We’ll help bolster this dynamic, multicultural neighborhood for the decades to come,” Adams said.
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Another disaster in the making. Crime on the North Shore is the problem. The 2500 ‘homes’ are really apartments that will look like NYCHA in a few years.