STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A stalwart band of civic leaders and local business owners braved the frigid cold on Monday afternoon to hold a press conference in Tappen Park, announcing priority issues they are asking the city to address as plans move forward to re-zone and develop the Bay Street Corridor.

The corridor — now zoned for manufacturing — extends from Sands Street in Stapleton to Victory Boulevard in Tompkinsville, between Van Duzer Street and the Staten Island Railroad tracks.

Residents and business owners laid out a series of community priorities they want funded in order to gain local support for the city plan that is designed to transform the corridor with new housing and commercial uses.

“Some of the top priorities for my members are increased ease of public transportation for Stapleton commuters, enhanced safety for pedestrians along Bay Street, and the creation of new public schools for the anticipated influx of new families,” said Priscilla Marco, president of the Van Duzer Street Area Civic Association. “These items must be addressed in conjunction with the rezoning of the Bay Street Corridor.”

The grass-roots coalition called for funding of the construction of a new public school, intermediate school and high school within the Bay Street Corridor area “to ensure that sufficient seats are available for the current residents and future population growth.”

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