Downsizing on Staten Island

Staten Island at a glance

Staten Island is Richmond County. On November 6, 1894, a majority of its voters chose to join the newly created Greater City of New York, and consolidation became official on January 1, 1898, as Historic Richmond Town describes it. The state's county page describes a North Shore with historic districts of Victorian architecture, an East Shore that includes the F.D.R. Boardwalk, a suburban South Shore and an industrial and sparsely populated West Shore.

NYC Planning divides the borough into three community districts: Community District 1 on the North Shore, Community District 2 in the Mid-Island and Community District 3 on the South Shore. The directory at the end of this page lists the neighborhoods in each. NYC Planning's study of Great Kills says that in the 1960s, when the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge opened, families moved to the island in large numbers.

Sources: Historic Richmond Town; New York State, Richmond County; NYC Community Boards; NYC Planning, Great Kills Transportation Study (2025).

Housing for downsizers on Staten Island

The housing stock here is different from the rest of the city. The Citizens Housing and Planning Council, drawing on the 2023 New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey, reports that 83 percent of Staten Island's units are in one- or two-family homes. On the North Shore, the city's housing agency says the vast majority of homes are in small buildings of one to four families.

On the South Shore, NYC Planning's 2025 study of Great Kills describes residential zoning that allows low-rise attached houses, small apartment buildings, single-family detached houses and detached and semi-detached one- and two-family homes. So the practical options for a smaller footprint include:

• A smaller detached or semi-detached house. Compare the roof, boiler, stairs and basement drainage before you compare square footage. The guide to co-ops, condos, townhouses and houses sets out the upkeep trade-offs.
• An attached home. An attached house can be owned outright, as a condominium unit or inside a homeowners' association. These are different legal structures with different rules and fees, so ask which one applies before you fall for the floor plan.
• An apartment. Apartments make up a smaller share of the borough's housing. If one is a co-op or condo, read the co-op and condo buying guide.

Sellers of one- to four-family homes generally must give buyers the state's property condition disclosure statement. It does not cover condominiums, co-ops or homeowners' association property that is not held in fee simple, so the paperwork differs by structure. See New York seller disclosures.

Sources: Citizens Housing and Planning Council; NYC Housing Preservation and Development, Bay Street Corridor housing strategies; NYC Planning, Great Kills Transportation Study; NY Real Property Law, section 461.

Where to start on Staten Island

Two neighborhoods have full guides, one near each end of the Staten Island Railway line:

• St. George and New Brighton: the North Shore, at the ferry terminal, with a landmarked hillside of Victorian houses and Snug Harbor.
• Great Kills and Eltingville: the South Shore, with a Staten Island Railway station, Great Kills Park and a mix of detached and attached homes.

For comparison, see Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Getting around Staten Island: ferry, railway, express buses and the bridge

• The Staten Island Ferry. NYC DOT says the ferry is free and operates every day of the week, year-round, between Staten Island and Lower Manhattan. NYC311 lists the terminals as St. George and Whitehall, with departures every 30 minutes except during weekday rush hours, when they are more frequent.
• The Staten Island Railway (SIR). The MTA calls it the only rapid transit line on the island. Its timetable shows 21 stations between St. George and Tottenville, service 24 hours a day and a connection to the ferry at St. George. Tap and ride with the same card or device on both legs for a free transfer, and the MTA says reduced fares at half price are available for seniors.
• Express buses to Manhattan. The MTA's Staten Island bus schedules list more than twenty SIM express routes. Which one serves your block, and whether it goes downtown or to Midtown, is on each route page, so check it against the specific address.
• The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. The MTA says the bridge opened in 1964 and connects Staten Island with Brooklyn. It links the Staten Island Expressway to the Belt Parkway and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Look up current tolls and any discount programs on MTA Bridges and Tunnels before you count on driving to Brooklyn.
• Half fare at 65. The MTA's Reduced-Fare program is open to anyone 65 or older and covers the Staten Island Railway. On express buses the reduced fare applies at all times except weekday peak periods, 6 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m.

If you will be commuting or making regular trips into Manhattan, price the ferry-plus-railway route against the express bus for the exact address. See our guide to getting around New York City after 65 for how transit changes as you age.

Sources: NYC DOT, Staten Island Ferry; NYC311, Staten Island Ferry; MTA, Staten Island Railway timetable; MTA, Staten Island bus schedules; MTA, Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge; MTA, Reduced-Fare program.

Hospitals and health care on Staten Island

• Richmond University Medical Center is at 355 Bard Avenue. See rumcsi.org.
• Staten Island University Hospital (Northwell Health) has two emergency departments open around the clock: Ocean Breeze (North) at 475 Seaview Avenue and Prince's Bay (South) at 375 Seguine Avenue.

Confirm that your doctors and your plan participate before you rely on any one hospital.

Older adult services and libraries on Staten Island

NYC Aging says older adult center membership is free and open to all New Yorkers 60 and older, and it points to a finder for a center near you and to Aging Connect at 212-AGING-NYC (212-244-6469). The Staten Island Borough President's older adult page also lists local providers, including the Staten Island Jewish Community Center's senior centers, Staten Island Friendship Clubs and the South Shore YMCA. Read the borough president's list.

The New York Public Library runs the island's branches. Search the NYPL location finder for the one nearest an address.

Storms, flooding and insurance on Staten Island

The city's 2013 post-Sandy report, A Stronger, More Resilient New York, says Sandy's surge and waves struck with particular ferocity in neighborhoods across South Queens, Southern Brooklyn and the East and South Shores of Staten Island. The report puts the citywide toll at 43 deaths, 23 of them on Staten Island. It says water at Tottenville rose 14 feet above ground level.

Of the hundreds of buildings the Department of Buildings found destroyed or structurally unsound, the report says almost 30 percent were on Staten Island, and 120,000 customers on Staten Island and in the Rockaways lost power after substation damage. It also says boardwalks were destroyed in the Rockaways, at Coney Island and on the East Shore of Staten Island. Richmond County was among the counties named in the federal disaster declaration.

None of that says anything about a particular block. Treat flood and evacuation exposure as an address question:

• Enter the address in the city's Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder. The city explains its six zones on its evacuation page, and its emergency management office advises against car travel during an evacuation.
• Check the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. Evacuation zones and FEMA flood zones are different maps.
• Ask about a separate flood policy, since standard homeowners, condo and co-op policies exclude flood. FloodHelpNY lists the free services and areas it currently covers.
• If a carrier will not renew a coastal policy, ask about the state's Coastal Market Assistance Program. Confirm its current geography with the program.

Our flood and storm insurance guide explains the details.

Sources: NYC, A Stronger, More Resilient New York, chapter 1; NYS DHSES, FEMA-4085-DR-NY.

Property taxes and local government on Staten Island

Property taxes here are billed by the City of New York, the same as in the other boroughs. The Senior Citizen Homeowners' Exemption covers one to three family homes, condos and co-ops (co-ops apply separately) for owners 65 or older with combined income of $58,399 or less, by March 15 (March 16 in 2026). Enhanced STAR reduces school taxes for owners 65 and older within its income limit, and a buyer registers with the state. In a co-op or condo, the board applies for the city's tax abatement for the whole building. On a sale, state and city transfer taxes apply, and the net proceeds calculator estimates them. Read costs and money and the senior property tax exemptions guide, and have a New York lawyer or CPA confirm the figures.

Sources: NYC 311, SCHE; NY Tax Department, STAR; NYC Finance, co-op and condo abatement.

Every Staten Island neighborhood, by community district

The list follows NYC Planning's neighborhood boundaries. Neighborhoods with a full guide are linked.

Next steps

The downsizing plan lays out the steps, and the resources page lists movers, estate sale help and legal referrals. To be introduced to an agent, get matched with one on the operating team at eXp Realty. Introductions go only to agents on that team, so this is not a search of the whole market.