HOUSING AND LAND USE
Since the opening of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in 1964, Staten Island has offered affordable homes for the working and middle-class residents of Brooklyn. The Borough's relatively unrestrictive zoning polices (compared to more traditional suburban communities like Nassau County, NY) created an opening for the construction of townhouses and detached homes on small parcels, as well as urban sprawl. Many have criticized the aesthetic of much of this housing, as well as the fact that the borough lacks the fundamental infrastructure—roads, sewers, and schools—to absorb continued development. In many neighborhoods, older, more traditionally suburban-style housing sits alongside newer, more concentrated townhouse development. Recently, the city's Growth Management Task Force recommended, and the city council approved, widespread "downzoning" (planning regulations that prohibit the close concentration of housing). There has also been some discussion of the need to "upzone" (increase the density) of certain neighborhoods of Staten Island to permit denser development as a counter to urban sprawl.
Housing costs in the borough have spiraled since the late 1990s, as they have throughout the New York metropolitan area, and many other growing urban areas throughout the United States. With relatively few public housing projects and rent-stabilized apartments, there is a need for affordable housing for the poor and working class. For the middle-class seeking homeownership, however, even with the recent housing price increases, Staten Island remains an affordable alternative when compared to other parts of NYC and the region.
Richard M. Flanagan
College of Staten Island
