I don’t mean the Chipotle is literally why, but rather, the rapid and aggressive development happening throughout the island, primarily on the North Shore. The original and only Staten Island Mall is continuously being renovated to include the newest and most popular stores. Recently, buzz began surrounding a new mall that is to be built called: The Empire Outlets. At first it was exciting to think about how none of us would have to travel to New Jersey just to access The Cheesecake Factory, as we’d now have our own! Then I began to wonder, if Staten Islanders travelled to New Jersey for their shopping malls and restaurants, who will travel to Staten Island to shop at ours?
The development and expansion of the Empire Outlets brings about many scenarios. Before this mall was proposed, the one major tourist attraction Staten Island had to offer was the Staten Island Ferry. Every boat is packed with tourist groups taking pictures on the outside deck as we pass the Statue of Liberty, while I am simply running late for my morning class
The idea that an entire mall could present itself as a tourist attraction is great for so many seemingly obvious reasons. There would be an economic boost, Staten Island might finally be “put on the map”, and of course, so much diversity could be brought onto the Shores of the Island. Not only are the Empire Outlets being planned, but also new stores at the Bricktown Mall in Tottenville that is already home to stores like Applebee’s, Target, The Christmas Tree Shop, and The Home Depot. A new library and TJ Maxx are set to open in the same shopping center.
For many of those living in towns like Tottenville, this kind of expansion and promise of diversification is not welcomed. The people working at these new stores are going to want to live closer to where they work. This means people with much lower incomes than existing South Shore residents may start to “infiltrate” the demographic of upper class neighborhoods. Hourly wages working at a store like Target do not compare to the incomes of private contractors, business owners, and wealthy families that occupy the Southernmost Shore of the Island. If these lower income people start to settle, them business in the area will have to cater to them with lower prices and even different products. The expansion will have a domino effect that could really change the existing demographic.
There is also a great chance it may not. One of the stores with a signed lease at The Empire Outlets is a luxury fur brand, Dennis Basso. This is a description of the outlets as excerpted from Staten Island Live’s website:
“Empire Outlets, which is directly adjacent to the St. George Ferry Terminal, will offer 350,000 s/f of retail space once it is built. It will also contain a 190-room hotel, a 1,250-space parking garage, and a 40,000-square-foot food and beverage deck. It will also be near the planned New York Wheel, which is expected to be one of the tallest observation wheels in the Western hemisphere.”
The expansion might actually lead to gentrification of the North Shore, where the Outlets are set to be located. Who the clientele of Dennis Basso on Staten Island will be, I remain largely unsure. People may travel from other boroughs, or even New Jersey to come shop at our new mall. The increase in traffic may lead to more forms of public transportation within the Island, as we currently have only one train line and not as many buses as any other borough. Car traffic itself may pose a new issue because Staten Island is overpopulated with cars for the roads it is home to.
The effects of the Outlet Mall expansion are seemingly unpredictable but could potentially change the Island’s demographics, increase tourism, bring many more into the workforce, and so much more. For what will actually happen, we will just have to wait and see.