2018 North Shore waterfront set to be an 'exciting' place

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Envision the water side of New York City's first outlet mall, where you can stop into a Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory for some sweet treats then sit on a bench gazing out at the Hudson for a spectacular view of Manhattan.

From atop one of the NY Wheel cars at its highest point of 630 feet you'll see both Staten Island and Manhattan in a whole new way.

Fireworks on the water, concerts on the pier and an evening at the ballpark will be a great way to spend a Saturday night in St. George.

On the other side of the Staten Island Ferry, you'll find more restaurants on the water, outdoor movies, the Lighthouse Museum and retail shops at Lighthouse Point.

Even farther down the shoreline in Stapleton is a continuation of the esplanade at Urby, where people can enjoy a quiet evening walking along the shoreline after dining and drinks.

That's what you'll experience in 2018 on the North Shore waterfront, a place few residents have been able to take advantage of -- until now.

Four developers decided to utilize the waterfront in new ways -- the likes of which Staten Island has never seen. And in the process, they'll repair an ailing shoreline district that for the last 25 years has fallen into disrepair and decay.

WHAT'S THERE TODAY

If you go to the North Shore waterfront today, there's a lot of construction going on. While Urby -- the 900-unit development that will soon include a mix of retail and restaurants -- was the first to rise, following suit over the next few years will be the Empire Outlets, Lighthouse Point and the New York Wheel. All will change the face of the North Shore waterfront, and provide recreational uses that we've never had before.

URBY

The first of the what has been dubbed "the core four" projects is Urby, located on the water in Stapleton where the former U.S. Navy Homeport once stood.

Already open is an esplanade that the city completed on the shoreline of Urby.

"You can now just go down and experience the waterfront in terms of hanging out there, having coffee, and recreating. Once the restaurants open at Urby there will be even more reason to go down there," said Dave Barry, Urby CEO and principal of the Hoboken-based Ironstate Development, Urby's developer.

He said he hopes to work with the city in the future to add "waterborne uses" to the waterfront, including jet skis, sailboats and/or kayak rentals.

WHAT'S TO COME? NY WHEEL

Nightly light shows on the waterfront will be part of the New York Wheel site.

Construction of the $580 million, 63-story New York Wheel -- to be located adjacent to the Richmond Country Bank Ballpark and Empire Outlets -- began in May 2015.

Slated to open in April 2018, Wheel-goers will be able to ride the six-story Wheel overlooking the harbor, then partake in a myriad of activities happening on the waterfront.

New York Wheel CEO Rich Marin said he has talked with the city about getting permission to put in a pier, to allow for outdoor concerts and other recreational activities.

"We have a dock already -- the $3 million jetty we built for deliveries -- but we have an obligation to take that down. It has occurred to us that we should be talking to someone to see if we can leave it there, spruce it up and it can be a nice place for people to go out there," said Marin, noting the jetty is about 35 feet wide and about 100 feet long.

Marin noted there is a joint venture between the Wheel and the outlets where there will be a floating dock that will allow for purveyors of water taxis and sightseeing boats to drop off and pick up passengers, said Marin.

"NY Waterways, New York Water Taxi, Circle Line -- all of them will be allowed to come and we'll do deals with them to dock here," he said.

"The idea is to have a private ferry dock there that will have access to a broader array of waterborne transit that currently exists in New York Harbor but doesn't have anywhere to dock on the North Shore," Marin added.

EMPIRE OUTLETS

Empire Outlets is slated to open for the 2017 holiday shopping season.

"Our esplanade and the Wheel's esplanade will be connected, and we will be using a large amount of resources on that waterfront," said Joseph Ferrara, principal of BFC Partners, Empire Outlets developer. "We will have programing along with vendors, like Haagen Dazs and Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory on the waterfront."

Ferrara said the four projects will contribute to an "exciting atmosphere" on the waterfront, where there will be tables, movable seating and chaise lounges so people can eat and congregate overlooking the water.

"We really want to activate this area so it's family-friendly where people can gather," he said, noting the outlets will have the ability to store bicycles for those who plan to ride their bikes along the waterfront then stop for a bite to eat or shop.

LIGHTHOUSE POINT

On the water right next door to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, a 116-unit luxury apartment building, with a host of retail and restaurants on the water, is under construction.

"We are activating our waterfront esplanade with a hotel and restaurants. We have all these great nooks and crannies between the buildings that all have outdoor dining," said said Elysa Goldman, director of development for Triangle Equities, Lighthouse Point developer.

"We hope to have an outdoor band going. We hope to have some outdoor movies. Because of the topography, you'll have terrace seating. You'll be able to sit outside, listen to music and have a drink," she added.

There will also be a plaza and pier.

"We will use the plaza in conjunction with the hotel, so if it's a wedding, you'll be able to have a cocktail hour outside. ...The banquet hall will spill out onto the plaza, which we think will be really terrific," added Goldman.

She said Triangle Equities is working with the city to "try to activate the pier."

"We have a lot of great ideas for it. It's just the city making it's decision on how it wants to proceed there," added Goldman.

Phase II of the project is expected to start in fall 2017, around the same time Phase I construction is culminating, said Goldman.

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