St. George is Staten Island’s front door. Arriving by ferry from Lower Manhattan, you step off onto the St. George waterfront, and everything about the borough’s relationship with the rest of New York City flows through this point. For decades, the neighborhood has carried the promise of waterfront revitalization — and in 2026, that promise is moving from plans to pavement.
Lighthouse Point: Open and Welcoming Residents
The most concrete change in St. George right now is Lighthouse Point, the mixed-use development on Bay Street steps from the ferry terminal. Governor Hochul celebrated the completion of the first phase in June 2025, marking the end of a nearly decade-long development process for a site that sat vacant for decades.
What is there now: 115 residential units (studios, one-bedrooms, and two-bedrooms), with 30 units set aside as affordable housing for families earning various income levels. The building includes 60,000 square feet of commercial space, with confirmed tenants including the College of Staten Island Tech Incubator, The Learning Experience childcare center, and Club Pilates, with additional retail and services to follow. The development also has a harbor-view terrace, fitness center, and a rooftop lounge with views across New York Harbor.
The site was originally the U.S. Lighthouse Service General Depot — the operational headquarters for lighthouse services across the entire United States from 1863 to 1966. The development team preserved the historic stone wall along Bay Street as part of the building’s design. The $200 million project was backed in part by $16.5 million from Empire State Development.
For potential residents: Lighthouse Point’s location — literally steps from the Staten Island Ferry terminal — is one of the most transit-accessible addresses on Staten Island. The ferry to Lower Manhattan is free and runs around the clock. For Staten Island residents evaluating where to live in the borough, proximity to the ferry terminal is the primary transit factor.
The Former New York Wheel Site: Bulldozers, Not Wheel Gondolas
If you remember the New York Wheel project — the enormous observation wheel that was proposed for the St. George waterfront and spent years in bankruptcy proceedings — the site is now moving in a different direction. The NYC Economic Development Corporation has released a community vision for the site that calls for up to 2,500 new homes, open space, and community facilities, with retail and public waterfront access. The environmental review process is expected to begin in 2026, with the formal land use review likely following in 2027.
In the meantime, construction has begun on the bulkhead repair and shoreline restoration at the former Wheel site — essential infrastructure work that has to happen before any new development can be built on the waterfront. This is the kind of work that is easy to miss (it looks like a construction site, because it is one), but it is the precursor to the open public waterfront access that the community vision calls for.
The North Shore: St. George in Context
St. George anchors the broader Staten Island North Shore, which includes the neighborhoods of New Brighton, Stapleton, and Tompkinsville running south along Bay Street. The North Shore Action Plan, coordinated by NYCEDC, envisions a continuous walkable waterfront corridor connecting these neighborhoods, with approximately 2,400 new homes to be added over time through transit-oriented development near the ferry terminal and the Staten Island Railway.
The Staten Island Railway runs along the eastern spine of the island from St. George to Tottenville; it is included in the MTA fare system and free with a transfer from the ferry. For St. George residents, it provides a direct connection to the rest of the island.
The neighborhood’s main commercial and cultural assets are within walking distance of the ferry: Borough Hall, the St. George Theatre (a restored 1929 vaudeville venue at 35 Hyatt Street that hosts concerts and community events), the Staten Island Museum at 75 Stuyvesant Place, and several restaurants and cafés on Richmond Terrace.
What You Need to Know
- Lighthouse Point is open: 115 apartments on Bay Street steps from the ferry terminal, 30 affordable units, with childcare, a tech incubator, and fitness tenants in the commercial space.
- The former New York Wheel site is under environmental review for a redevelopment with up to 2,500 homes and public waterfront access. Formal ULURP review is expected in 2027.
- Bulkhead and shoreline construction is actively underway at the former Wheel site — part of the infrastructure groundwork for future public waterfront space.
- The Staten Island Ferry (free, 24/7) to Lower Manhattan departs from St. George Ferry Terminal. The Staten Island Railway connects to the rest of the island from the same terminal.
- The St. George Theatre at 35 Hyatt Street is worth checking for events — it is one of the borough’s better concert and community venues.
Source: Governor Hochul press release, June 5, 2025
