City Planning presents new urban design guidebook to Staten Island board; members press transit and parking concerns

Department of City Planning officials introduced a new guidebook, "Principles of Good Urban Design," to the May borough board in Staten Island, presenting four overarching principles meant to guide neighborhood‑level design and public engagement.

Eric Gregory, chief urban designer at the Department of City Planning, opened the presentation and described the guidebook as a resource for residents and project teams. "I'm the chief urban designer at City Planning," Gregory said while introducing the team and the guidebook’s goals. He told board members the outreach that shaped the guide included an online survey that drew roughly 1,500 respondents.

Felina Novakova, an urban designer in the central office, said the principles aim to make design more inclusive and actionable. "The principles of Good Urban Design are really centered around the idea of democratizing design," Novakova said, adding the guide provides prompts residents can use to evaluate projects and engage in planning conversations.

The presentation summarized four principles: improving accessibility, mobility and connectivity; strengthening process and community engagement; blending old and new to support public life; and advancing sustainability, equity and resilience. DCP highlighted local examples: the Stapleton Waterfront (which the presenters said included a roughly six‑acre first phase with new landscape and pedestrian improvements), PS 62 — identified in the presentation as the Kathleen Grimm School for Leadership and Sustainability — as a pilot for energy‑efficient school design, the Rev. Dr. Maggie Howard Playground (previously Stapleton Park) as a parks investment, and breakwaters near Tottenville intended to reduce storm impacts.

Board members welcomed the guidebook’s intent but pressed DCP to ensure the guidance fits Staten Island’s circumstances. Several speakers said Staten Island’s transportation network is limited and auto‑dependent, that some past projects have left unresolved infrastructure problems, and that narrow streets and existing parking patterns must figure into project planning. One attendee said the PS 62 example has "a lot of problems" that still require coordination between the School Construction Authority and school facilities teams; DCP staff acknowledged those concerns and described the guide as adaptable rather than prescriptive.

On parking and land‑use tradeoffs, members cited a recent developer proposal for a 99‑unit senior housing project that, according to meeting comments, proposed about 33 on‑site parking spaces — a configuration several members questioned given Staten Island’s high car‑ownership rates. DCP presenters said the guidebook provides questions and objectives to prompt local analysis, but emphasized that some transportation and infrastructure solutions fall beyond the guidebook’s scope and require broader planning or agency action.

The presentation concluded with an overview of the guidebook’s chapters and resources (how to think like an urban designer; detailed principles and objectives; place‑based examples; and a user guide), and DCP said printed copies were available and the guide is downloadable on the department website. Gregory invited continued feedback from the borough board to make examples and imagery more locally relevant.

Votes at a glance: the board accepted last month’s minutes after a motion offered and seconded during roll call, and later moved and seconded to adjourn. The board set its next meeting for June 1 and adjourned.

Why this matters: DCP said the guidebook is intended as a practical toolkit to help residents ask targeted questions about new projects and to encourage stronger design outcomes. Board members’ comments underscore that local infrastructure limits — for example, constrained transit options, septic capacity in some neighborhoods and local parking norms — shape whether and how those principles can be applied in Staten Island.

What’s next: DCP staff invited the board to submit feedback to adapt examples and objectives to Staten Island contexts; the board adjourned and scheduled its next meeting for June 1.