OK CTY BROADWAYSTAGES

James Park of Broadway Stages holds up a promotional t-shirt the company made declaring, "Coming to Staten Island New York 2015."

(Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)

CITY HALL -- The future transformation of the former Arthur Kill State Correctional Facility into a new Broadway Stages studio in Charleston has been plagued by delays for years.

Broadway Stages founder Tony Argento said in February 2014 that the production company could build five sound stages on the 69-acre property and open the new film and television studio there in just a few months.

But after more than two years and a lengthy environmental review, the company has yet to purchase the old prison site from the state. And when the studio might actually open remains unclear.

"We are still finalizing paper work and hope to close sometime in July and soon after renovations and constructions will begin," Broadway Stages spokesman James Park said.

Empire State Development Corporation selected the $27 million plan proposed by Broadway Stages 27 months ago.

The environmental assessment was a necessary roadblock, but the economic development agency would not provide any specific reasons for the more recent delays to the project.

"Redeveloping the former Arthur Kill Correctional Facility, with 43 buildings on 69 acres, is a very large project, and projects of this magnitude take considerable time and effort," ESD spokesman Jonah Bruno said. "But when it's completed, Broadway Stages will bring 1,500 jobs to Staten Island."

OPENING IN 2017?

Broadway Stages will buy the prison site from the state for $7 million and plans to invest another $20 million to erect five sound stages. An additional five sound stages could also be built in a potential second phase of construction, although how much more that would cost is unknown.

Empire State Development completed the months-long environmental review of the proposal last November.

No "significant" negative impacts on the environment are expected to come from the project. But the review does note that the studio will cause traffic delays in certain nearby intersections and improvements must be implemented at two of them to mitigate this.

After a public hearing in December, the state Public Authorities Control Board approved the plans on Feb. 17.

Before sale of the prison to Broadway Stages can be finalized, the state attorney general and the state comptroller must review and approve the transfer documents.

Once that happens and construction finally begins, a variety of city, state and federal agencies will be responsible for oversight.

The city hopes that the studio will open in 2017, according to Julie Menin, the new Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment.

Menin told an Advance editorial board that her office will try to help Broadway Stages work with other city agencies during construction. She didn't think governmental red tape was causing current delays -- and noted that the environmental review had to complete before the sale could move forward.

"That process has to take its process and that's exactly what's happening," Menin said. "Everyone is working really hard to make this happen."

YEARS OF DELAYS

A few months after Argento's optimistic 2014 opening prediction, Broadway Stages had printed promotional T-shirts declaring, "Coming to Staten Island New York 2015."

The company and state have continued to push back the projected opening date over the last two years.

Empire State Development said in January 2015 that construction could begin before the end of that year.

But by September 2015, Broadway Stages anticipated construction would begin in January 2016 and finish by July 2020 if the extra sound stages were built, according an environmental assessment form the company submitted to the state.

And when January arrived, some approvals were still pending and the sale still hadn't been finalized.

Broadway Stages would not say exactly what is causing the delays. Neither would Borough Hall, which participates in weekly conference calls about the project.

"My office is in regular contact with Broadway Stages to help navigate land use and other governmental issues," Borough President James Oddo said in a statement. "Staff of Broadway Stages frequently visit the site, with the permission of the State, to plan ahead for the studio."

Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island) helped broker the deal between the state and Broadway Stages. He said the project is "progressing" but acknowledged a "slowdown" in some approvals other "hiccups" including "complications" with electricity at the site.

"We really took a lemon and tried to make lemonade out of it," Lanza said of the plans. "One of the great fears with that property for me as a Staten Islander was the potential for unwanted development there, and the uncertainty in terms of that large tract of land being there."