STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- With five new retail projects already in the works for Staten Island, yet another new shopping complex -- housing a host of retailers, outdoor restaurants, movie theater, an upscale supermarket and wetland preserve -- is being planned for 21-acres of waterfront property in Charleston.

Riverside Galleria -- being developed by New York City developer Melohn Properties, Inc., which has offices in St. George -- will be a 457,000-square-foot retail complex on the shores of the Arthur Kill, almost directly underneath the Outerbridge in Charleston.

Bounded by the Outerbridge Crossing to the north, Arthur Kill Road to the east, Richmond Valley Road and Mill Creek to the south and the Arthur Kill Waterway to the west, the project is expected to break ground in early 2016 and open for business in 2017.

"Staten Island right now doesn't have sufficient retail to serve the needs of the community. A lot of people are going to New Jersey to shop. So the idea is when they are driving over the Outerbridge they have to pass right by our development," said Jay Valgora, principal of the Manhattan-based STUDIO V Architecture, the architect for the project.

Riverside Galleria will include a large promenade affording visitors an up close view of the waterfront, a 55,000-square-foot multiplex cinema and restaurants that provide outdoor waterfront dining.

Valgora said he hopes to begin the city's mandated Uniformed Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) to obtain all necessary approvals by the end of the summer or early fall.

THE DESIGN

As part of the project, developers will create a new vehicular road and pedestrian connection to water, walkways highlighting historic and natural elements of the property, a central landscaped courtyard with water views, parking for 1,850 cars, and development of Richmond Valley Road out to the Arthur Kill to open up new physical and visual access to the water.

"We are creating a whole new lane on our property out to Arthur Kill Road; this is to take traffic off of Arthur Kill Road and it will prevent traffic from backing up on Arthur Kill Road," said Valgora.

"There will be three different entrances to the development. And we are also building a whole new street onto Richmond Valley Road," he added.

WETLAND PRESERVE

The project's design includes preserving 10-acres of wetlands on the site, creating natural buffers and incorporating sustainable components, such as green roofs on buildings.

"We're going to improve the quality of the wetlands and increase the degree of hydrology. Not only are we preserving the wetlands, but we're going to enhance the wetlands through a state-of-the art building design that captures the storm water in a rain garden and filters and puts it into the wetlands ," said Valgora, noting his firm is working closely with the state Department of Environmental Conservation on the project.

HISTORIC HOME

On the property is the 18th century Captain Abram and Ruth Dissosway Cole House that isn't landmarked, said Valgora.

"We decided to preserve the 200-year-old home and we are creating a garden around it. We are putting a cool restaurant in there, and it will be a fantastic place for a wedding," he said.

LEASING THE SPACE

The developer is actively seeking retailers and local restauranteurs to locate within the complex.

"What we found is that the South Shore has fragmented retail, there's no concentration of apparel," said James Prendamano, managing member of the St. George-based Casandra Properties, Inc., the leasing agents for the project.

"We are trying to stay away from chains. ...We are incorporating a couple of different site plans that includes a higher-end grocer and there will be a concentration of apparel retailers," he added.

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