Neighbors of a former St. John’s University campus on Staten Island are worried the bucolic site will become low-income housing – but officials say nothing is in the works yet.
Locals in the hill community overlooking New York harbor are bracing for the possibility that a developer will buy the 16-5-acre site and convert it into a massive housing development after 18 months with no announcements about the future of the property, the Staten Island Advance first reported.
“None of the parties that we are in discussion with have expressed any interest in constructing low-income housing,” St. John’s said in a statement.
St. John’s, whose main campus in Queens is still fully functioning, closed the campus after years of declining enrollment and put it up for sale with hopes that another university would buy the property and keep it largely intact.
But with no official announcement, rumors have swirled and concerns have mounted.
Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella said he’s concerned the property will be vacant for an extended period, like the former Mount Manresa retreat site in Fort Wadsworth near the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge — which closed a decade ago.
“It’s one of the nicest neighborhoods in New York City. The St. John’s campus site has the best views of New York harbor, and one of the best views of a waterway in the country,” Fossella said.
“So far, it sits empty.”
Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks also she said wants the property sold to a buyer who will maintain the picturesque character of Grymes Hill.
“I made a commitment to ensure we will have a buyer the community will be in favor of. Neighbors have a right to be concerned,” Hanks said.
There’s been discussions with Wagner College about the site, but the property appears to be larger than Wagner’s needs. Other colleges have shown interest in establishing a foothold in the city — but in Manhattan.
Nashville-based Vanderbilt University entered a lease agreement with the General Theological Seminary to take over 13 buildings and nearly 150,000 square feet of space in Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Boston-based Northeastern University is absorbing Marymount College on the Upper East Side.
The former St. John’s property is well known to President-elect Donald Trump. The Trump Organization, then run by his father, Fred, once owned the nearby Grymes Hill garden apartments and Donald visited the complex.
Fossela quipped that maybe business mogul Elon Musk — who has emerged as a top adviser to Trump — could generate something special for the vacated campus.
“If Elon Musk is interested, we will give him a personal tour,” he said.