Staten Island may be the borough that New Yorkers most often overlook — but its three community boards are among the most engaged in the city, and May is one of the best months to get involved before the summer slowdown begins. Whether you’re in the North Shore neighborhoods served by CB1, the Mid-Island communities of CB2, or the South Shore areas of CB3, there’s a board that represents your block — and public meetings where your voice matters.

This week, Staten Island Community Board 2 holds its regular Full Board meeting on the third Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM. CB2 covers a broad swath of Mid-Island neighborhoods and is one of the most geographically expansive boards in the borough. Check the CB2 calendar at nyc.gov/site/statenislandcb2 for the confirmed location and agenda for this month’s meeting.

Know Your Board

Staten Island has three community boards, each serving a distinct part of the borough:

Community Board 1 — North Shore covers the neighborhoods closest to the ferry terminal and the Bayonne Bridge: St. George, Tompkinsville, Stapleton, Clifton, Rosebank, and parts of New Brighton. CB1 meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 PM. The office is at 1 Edgewater Plaza, Room 217, Staten Island, NY 10305, reachable at 718-981-6900. May’s second Tuesday meeting has already taken place, but committee meetings continue throughout the month.

Community Board 2 — Mid-Island serves a large middle portion of Staten Island including New Springville, Westerleigh, Castleton Corners, Graniteville, Bulls Head, and surrounding areas. CB2 holds its full board meetings on the third Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM. Contact the board at 718-568-3581 or through nyc.gov/site/statenislandcb2.

Community Board 3 — South Shore covers the fastest-growing part of Staten Island — areas like Tottenville, Great Kills, Eltingville, Annadale, and Huguenot. As the South Shore has seen substantial residential development in recent years, CB3 has become increasingly active on land use and infrastructure questions. Reach CB3 at 718-356-7900 or at nyc.gov/site/statenislandcb3.

What Staten Island’s Community Boards Are Working On

Staten Island’s three boards tackle a distinct set of issues compared to the other boroughs — and that’s partly because the borough’s geography, infrastructure challenges, and development patterns are genuinely different. Unlike Manhattan or Brooklyn, much of Staten Island is car-dependent, and transportation — the frequency and reliability of the Staten Island Railway, express bus service to Manhattan, and local road conditions — is a recurring theme at community board meetings across all three districts.

Land use is another constant concern. The South Shore in particular has seen waves of residential development on land that was once farmland or wetlands, raising questions about stormwater management, school capacity, and the character of neighborhoods that were rural within living memory. CB3’s land use committee has been one of the more active in the borough as a result.

On the North Shore, CB1 deals with the pressures of a neighborhood that is increasingly attractive to developers and new residents, with the ferry terminal as an anchor and ongoing investment in the St. George arts district. The board regularly engages with questions about affordable housing, street safety on the borough’s older grid streets, and the future of the waterfront.

How to Attend a Meeting

All three Staten Island community board meetings are open to the public. You don’t need to be a property owner, a registered voter, or a long-time resident to attend. Simply show up at the listed location before the meeting begins and sign in. Most boards have a public comment period where any attendee can speak — typically two to three minutes per speaker.

If you’d like to track specific issues, each board posts agendas and past minutes on its NYC.gov page. You can also call the board offices directly to ask about upcoming items or to find out which committee handles the issue you care about most.

Why Now

May and June are the final months of the community board calendar before the summer break. If there’s an issue in your neighborhood — a proposed development, a persistent safety problem, a city service that’s falling short — raising it now means it can be formally addressed before the boards pause in July and August. The annual Statement of District Needs, which each board submits to the mayor’s office, is also finalized in this period, making spring engagement particularly consequential.

Staten Island’s community boards have historically been effective at drawing attention to borough-specific issues that might otherwise be overlooked in a city that sometimes treats the fifth borough as an afterthought. Showing up is the first step. Read more about Staten Island community organizations making a difference in our coverage of the Freshkills Park Alliance and the volunteers keeping the borough’s green spaces thriving.

What You Need to Know

• CB1 (North Shore): Second Tuesday at 6:30 PM | 1 Edgewater Plaza, Room 217 | 718-981-6900
• CB2 (Mid-Island): Third Tuesday at 7:00 PM — meeting this week | 718-568-3581 | nyc.gov/site/statenislandcb2
• CB3 (South Shore): Contact at 718-356-7900 | nyc.gov/site/statenislandcb3
• All meetings are open to the public — no advance registration required
• May and June are the last months before summer recess — now is the time to raise neighborhood issues
• Each board posts agendas and minutes on its NYC.gov page