Office of Borough President James P. Molinaro
Staten Island, New York
Molinaro: Next Step In Overdevelopment Reform Focuses on Minimum Lot Area
Uphold the Primacy of Special Zoning District Concept for South Richmond
Borough President James P. Molinaro today announced that the next step in his office’s effort to curb out-of-character development is a focus on the interpretation of minimum lot area zoning rules. To that end, the Borough President’s office will testify at the New York City Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) that one- and two-family homes within South Richmond must comply with the 3,800-square-foot requirement as mandated by the 1975 South Richmond Special District zoning regulations.
Molinaro is challenging the New York City Buildings Department’s approval of two new houses on a lot in Prince’s Bay where once there was one. The lot sits in the Special South Richmond District, which covers Bay Terrace to Tottenville.
Residents argue that, according to their interpretation of a section of zoning for South Richmond, the lot at the corner of Amboy Road and Haynes Street is 100 feet short for two houses. However, the Buildings Department allowed the construction, saying that the agency had interpreted South Richmond zoning in a similar way in the past, approving projects to build multiple homes on one zoning lot as long as the entire lot met a minimum size.
“I have brought this issue to the table many times over the past three years, always stating that the Buildings Department has been misinterpreting the Zoning Resolution with regard to zoning lot area requirements,” Molinaro said. “Their notion of customary usage is like saying a man who’s robbed gas stations for 20 years shouldn’t be arrested now because he’s been consistent.
“I think it’s outrageous how this rule continues to be misinterpreted, and the BSA will make the final decision,” Molinaro added. “I’ve always predicted that the BSA must rule on this, the time for change is now, and I intend to testify that the law is very plainly written, that you need ‘X amount’ of square footage for each house.
“This interpretation threatens neighborhoods with denser development and must be reviewed before the BSA in an effort to maintain the unique small-town atmosphere existing in our communities, and help preserve the Staten Island we know and love,” Molinaro concluded.
February 4, 2005