CUNY Parking Lots Could Help Solve NYC’s Housing Crunch, Think Tank Says

The dearth of affordable housing across New York City has resulted in some innovative ideas. The newest one comes from the Center for an Urban Future, which suggests building housing on underutilized land such as parking lots on City University of New York (CUNY) campuses. 

In a report published earlier this month, the Center for an Urban Future, a nonprofit focused on improving inequality and increasing economic growth, proposed five “revenue-raising ideas” for New York City. One of those ideas is to build new housing on CUNY campuses, which the think tank estimates will generate over $5 billion in total lease revenue that can then be used for infrastructure improvements around the five boroughs. 

“One promising option is to unlock underutilized land on CUNY campuses for infill housing — generating dedicated, recurring revenue for the university while also adding much-needed homes in residential neighborhoods across the city,” the report said. “Many CUNY campuses abut residential areas and include surface parking lots or other underused parcels that could be redeveloped through long-term ground leases.”  

CUNY operates 26 campuses around the five boroughs, one of which is the College of Staten Island (CSI) located on the city’s oft-maligned “forgotten borough.” 

The Center for an Urban Future — which did not immediately respond to Commercial Observer’s request for comment — highlighted the Staten Island college campus in its report, noting it spans 204 acres, with 10 percent of the campus designated as surface parking. 

“Portions of the south campus parking areas, which abut residential neighborhoods and vacant parcels, could be redeveloped for infill housing,” the report said. “Even under conservative density assumptions, redevelopment of a single 5-acre site could generate roughly $500,000 to $900,000 in recurring annual revenue, while preserving the vast majority of campus parking.”

The Center for an Urban Future also calculated that the campus could accommodate four housing projects that would generate between $2 million to $3.6 million in annual revenue.

Still, Vito Fossella, Staten Island’s borough president, isn’t a fan of this idea. 

“We’re here today to say it’s a really bad, and it’s a really dumb idea,” Fossella said Wednesday from the College of Staten Island campus, SILive.com reported. “Let’s take away hundreds or who knows how many parking spots, which would only compromise the quality of life for the students and the faculty and College of Staten Island.”

(If building housing on a college campus is on people’s minds, it is worth noting that the St. John’s University Staten Island campus has just been sitting on Grymes Hill empty since the school decided to close it at the end of the spring 2024 semester.) 

In order for the think tank’s proposal to move forward, the organization would need approval from state officials as well as CUNY’s board of trustees. 

Amanda Schiavo can be reached at aschiavo@commercialobserver.com.