An innovative, community-driven effort managed by Vision for Staten Island is taking shape and offering a new approach to planning Staten Island’s future. This newly created organization has initiated a “visioning” project using a process pioneered by ACP Visioning+Planning that will bring the Staten Island community together with public and private leaders to create an inclusive and comprehensive vision for the future. The process begins with public “idea-gathering sessions,” scheduled to be held in various locations throughout the borough, from Dec. 1 through Dec. 8.
“Staten Island stands at a crossroads today. Its growing and diversifying population and gentrification during the past 30 years has changed the borough’s landscape and continues to challenge its already stressed infrastructure, insufficient amenities and Staten Islanders’ overall sense of community,” remarked Patrick McDermott, chairman of Vision for Staten Island’s board of directors.
The process will result in a comprehensive vision that will identify shared goals for all aspects of the Island’s life, and specific steps to implement each goal.
Participants in the idea-gathering sessions will be assigned to small groups; brainstorm ideas for the Island’s future with a trained facilitator, then clarify and prioritize their ideas.
“The idea-gathering is geared so that you can speak your mind,” explained Adena Long, executive director of Vision for Staten Island. “There is no pre-set agenda. The public decides what is critical.”
The ideas gathered from all of the meetings will form the foundation of the vision and help frame the topics investigated over the remainder of the visioning effort, which will continue through next spring.
Idea Gathering Sessions for Adults
- Monday, Dec.1, 7 to 9 p.m., Brighton Heights Reformed Church, 320 St. Mark’s Place
- Tuesday, Dec. 2, 7 to 9 p.m., P.S. 58, S.S. Columbia School, 77 Marsh Ave.
- Wednesday, Dec. 3, 7 to 9 p.m., I.S. 34 Tottenville, 528 Academy Ave.
- Thursday, Dec. 4, 7 to 9 p.m., Port Richmond High School, 85 St. Joseph’s Ave.
- Saturday, Dec. 6, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., Staten Island Academy, 715 Todt Hill Rd.
- Monday, Dec. 8, 7 to 9 p.m., New Dorp High School, 465 New Dorp Lane
Idea Gathering Session for Youth (16 and over)
- Thursday, Dec. 4, 4 to 6 p.m., Cromwell Recreation Center at Pier 6, Murray Hulbert Ave. (off of Bay and Hannah Streets)
About ACP Visioning + Planning
ACP Visioning+Planning was founded by principals Gianni Longo and Jamie Greene to improve the livability of communities through the integration of visioning, strategic and physical planning, and urban design. ACP’s innovative approach relies on inclusion, collaboration, and consensus-building. They have been called upon by some of the largest and most complex places in the country — New York City, Charlotte, Birmingham, Columbus, Houston, and Washington, D.C., among others — to facilitate visioning and planning processes. ACP has emerged as a leader in helping numerous stakeholders work together in these communities to develop mutual goals, strategies and plans.
About Vision for Staten Island
Vision for Staten Island is new in name, but not in concept. Preparatory steps began in the fall of 2006, when the College of Staten Island President’s Roundtable engaged ACP Visioning+Planning to conduct a feasibility study to “plan for a vision” for Staten Island. ACP conducted numerous stakeholder interviews to learn about local concerns and determine how to best structure a vision process that would take into account the complex economic, political, and social reality of the borough. ACP developed a proposal for how Vision for Staten Island might proceed, and worked closely with the CSI President’s Roundtable and the Staten Island Foundation to refine the approach. In 2007, a temporary initiating committee was given the job of recruiting and appointing a diverse steering committee for the visioning effort. The initiating committee evolved into an independent board of directors which, together with the 100-member steering committee, convened this July to begin guiding the vision process forward. Adena Long was hired as the organization’s executive director in August.
