STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The New York Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has launched structural construction efforts at the waterfront space in front of the former New York Wheel site in St. George, moving forward with critical bulkhead repair and shoreline restoration — necessary improvements that must take place before the long-promised, St. George portion of the North Shore Esplanade can be designed and built.
“This is one critical piece of a larger story,” noted Judah Asimov, vice president of neighborhood strategies for the EDC. “We now have about eight acres under construction, but this is the centerpiece of that plan.”
Asimov offered the Advance/SILive.com an exclusive tour of the construction site last week, showing off the significant progress that has been made to transform the land into new public space. Councilmember Kamillah Hanks, who represents the North Shore and has been instrumental in implementing the North Shore Action Plan, also attended the tour.
“For more than a decade, the public has not had access to the waterfront. This used to be active space. You were able to bike; you were able to walk. Seeing this progression here means we are that much closer to restoring accessibility to the public,” Hanks said.
The new esplanade is just one component of the city’s North Shore Action Plan, a $400 million public investment focused on a two-mile stretch of the North Shore. City officials expect the new plan to deliver 2,400 new homes, more than 20 acres of public space and over 7,500 new jobs, generating an estimated $3.8 billion in economic impact over the next three decades…