Jersey St Merchants Association 4th Annual Holiday Party

The Jersey Street Merchant Association 4th Annual Holiday Party on December 12, 2019 was a huge success! Hundreds of people came out to celebrate. The Jersey Street Merchant Association along with help from The Verrazano Kiwanis Club, The Manfredi Movement and Staten Island Downtown Alliance hosted a wonderful evening of food, beverages and service for this event. Over 500 toys were donated by The Manfredi Movement which made this holiday extra special for so many children. Santa Claus even came with 2 of his elves who made sure to take photos with every child there!
Thank you to everyone who came out, businesses that donated delicious food and also those that volunteered their time to join the 4 organizations that made this event a true holiday community gathering! #CommunityComingTogether                                                                                  

Explore Downtown SI

              #ShopEatVisitDowntownSINY

The Staten Island Guide App has been gaining popularity with its informative information about the entire borough of Staten Island. We have been fortunate enough to partner with this App and have a portion devoted solely for the Downtown area. Retailers have been posting their promotional savings in the Deals and Offers section. 
If you are a retailer in the Downtown SI area, and would like to participate in this free advertising, please contact us at info@statenislanddowntownalliance.com for all the details. 


https://www.statenisland.guide/sections/c/0/i/27212769/downtown

In this EXPLORE DOWNTOWN 
section, you will find all retailers in our area.They are automatically listed  showing the distance from your current location. The special DEALS AND OFFERS section have savings divided by EAT and SHOP. 
These listings are constantly updated.

Download this App or go to https://www.statenisland.guide and discover what the Downtown area of Staten Island has to offer!

North Shore Greenway Report Release

On Monday, May 20th Transportation Alternatives and The Harbor Ring released their report, "Ringing in the Greenway". Representatives from the Councilwoman's Office, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Community Board 1, and other various community departments came out to show their support. This completed pathway will encircle New York Harbor and connect Brooklyn, Staten Island, New Jersey and Manhattan. We are all looking forward to having this secured multi-use path that will be beneficial to Staten Islanders, increase tourism and help the North Shore economically.

The following is a link to the North Shore Greenway campaign that includes a link to their full report:
http://transalt.org/getinvolved/neighborhood/lets-build-north-shore-greenway

Thank you to Rose Uscianowski, Staten Island Organizer of Transportation Alternatives for running this informative press release.

Press Conference for the North Shore Greenway Report Release

The North Shore Greenway is a long sought concept for a bicycle/ pedestrian pathway extending across the North Shore waterfront from the Verrazzano Bridge on the east side to the Goethals Bridge on the west side. It would be comparable to Manhattan's Hudson River Greenway. Portions of the greenway already exist- Faber Park, Heritage Park and the coming "Van Pelt/ Van Name Waterfront Plaza" on the west side as well as the Stapleton Waterfront Plaza and the Promenade at Lighthouse Point on the east side- but they are trying to get the Department of Transportation to commit to finishing the greenway. 

On Monday, May 20th, the Transportation Alternatives and the Harbor Ring Committee are hosting a press conference regarding the North Shore Greenway in order to announce the release of a brand new mini report documenting public support for the concept while calling on the DOT to commit to its completion.

Please join them on May 20th at 9:30 am and support the North Shore Greenway!

Great Mother's Day event by The Created For You Artists Market

The Created For You Artists Market, will be located at The Hub at the Corner Grind-510 Bay Street on Mother's Day, May 11th. This Market is created for local artists, small business owners and entrepreneurs that are looking for a platform to expand their brand, their name and sell their products, services and arts to the public. The market will have vendors that will be promoting their businesses and services. Entrepreneurs that are starting to sell and artists that have amazing artwork will also be on display. These are all wonderful elements that are undiscovered and need to be in the spotlight. Their motto is - "We started as a village and grew into an army!"

The Hub at the Corner Grind, on 510 Bay St., is an up and coming cafe that is a live music venue. All arts and music are from local artists in Staten Island.

                           

Get Your Hands Dirty - Join Us for Earth Day on Jersey Street

The Staten Island Downtown Alliance will join the Jersey Street Merchant Association to celebrate Earth Day by executing a beautification project along Jersey Street.  We will be getting our hands dirty by planting flowering succulents inside the 30 tree planters lining the Jersey Street corridor. These colorful plants are low water, hardy plants that will stand up to foot traffic and bloom year after year.

Merchants have agreed to care for the plants and keep the tree beds clean.  This project is designed to bring together the residential and retail community.  There will be food, games and entertainment by Redstorm Drum & Dance Troupe.

This beautification project is made possible with a grant from Councilmember Debi Rose and the New York City Department of Small Business Services.

When: April 27 Noon-3pm

Where: Jersey Street across from Columbia Meat Market

Say No to Homeless Shelters on Staten Island

Photo Credit: SI Live Sydney Kashawagi

Department of Homeless Services announced that they would be going ahead with building a 200 unit homeless shelter at 44 Victory Boulevard - right in the heart of the Bay Street Corridor where more than $1 Billion private dollars have been invested in projects such as Empire Outlets, Lighthouse Point, Minthorne and URBY and tens of millions of public dollars have been invested in grants to Local Development Corporations and business organizations to attract and retain businesses and to improve the surrounding community.

There are 42 separate homeless shelters and service sites scattered throughout Community Board 1's service delivery district. There are more scattered throughout Staten Island - but still the Mayor wants to build at least 3 homeless shelters on Staten Island to deal with the 1,300 homeless individuals who claim Staten Island as their last address.

While the Staten Island Downtown Alliance applauds the government for creating a plan to address the homeless crisis, it rejects the notion that Staten Island must accept 3 shelters (one for each Community Board as is proposed for other boroughs) because Staten Island is lacking too many of the necessary services that would help a homeless individual get back on his/her feet.

For example: Staten Island has no public hospital which means that homeless individuals will have to seek medical treatment at our 2 overburdened hospitals. Staten Island has no free access onto the island by car. Christine Quinn, Executive Director of WIN (the entity that would run the 200 unit shelter) said that most of the women owned cars. Staten Island lacks a subway and has limited bus service so there is no way for those without cars to get around. Staten Island has limited job opportunities because it is economically disenfranchised due to the $19 bridge tolls. Staten Island has limited rental housing which means that there will be nowhere for the women and their families who transition from homelessness to find permanent housing. Staten Island public schools are overcrowded and it has few Charter School options.

The list of how Staten Island is lacking in opportunities for its residents is long which likely contributed to the homelessness of these 1,300 individuals. Instead of hobbling them further, why not transition them in shelters close to needed services in Manhattan while using the funds for the shelter lease to build permanent affordable housing which can serve the homeless and reduce the problem in the future?