The Office of Staten Island Borough President
11/02/2026 | Press release | Archived content
'A Public Safety Hazard': Borough President Vito Fossella Blasts New NYC Home Address Law
Borough President Vito Fossella called the transfer of assigning new house addresses from the authority of our office to the Department of City Planning a "public safety hazard."
Every property across the city has a house number, presently assigned by each of the Borough President's Topographical Bureaus, which are all staffed by local experts who have a deep knowledge of the nuances of street layouts and designs in their own respective boroughs.
On Jan. 1, 2027, the responsibility of assigning house numbers to new properties will shift to the City Planning Department, a result of last year's approval by voters of Ballot Proposition 5 to digitize the city map.
"Currently, if somebody wants to build a home, we issue a home address," said Borough President Fossella at a press conference at Willowbrook Road and Westwood Avenue, where 34 homes are slated to be built. "Those addresses have been distributed to first responders, the police, the Fire Department, hospitals, EMTs, etc. So, in the event of an emergency, if there's a 911 call and somebody says, go to 1313 Mockingbird Lane, they know exactly where to go."
Once the assignment of house numbers is transferred, pursuant to the passage of the charter revision, the Department of City Planning has indicated it may issue a general range of numbers for large, subdivided properties. It will also cut out forms which certify addresses with the NYPD and FDNY, as well as with the utilities, which can potentially delay or extend response times in emergencies.
"So, for example, if it was 1020 to 1050 Westwood Avenue, and there was a 911 call right there, unless there's a change, the first responders would literally have to knock on doors to determine who's having trouble as opposed to, as I say, the specific address," said Borough President Fossella. "This is public safety issue. We're just trying to ring the bell here before trouble hits. The right thing to do would be to delay the implementation until the city can demonstrate they can get it right and not put anyone in harm's way."
Every property across the city has a house number, presently assigned by each of the Borough President's Topographical Bureaus, which are all staffed by local experts who have a deep knowledge of the nuances of street layouts and designs in their own respective boroughs.
On Jan. 1, 2027, the responsibility of assigning house numbers to new properties will shift to the City Planning Department, a result of last year's approval by voters of Ballot Proposition 5 to digitize the city map.
"Currently, if somebody wants to build a home, we issue a home address," said Borough President Fossella at a press conference at Willowbrook Road and Westwood Avenue, where 34 homes are slated to be built. "Those addresses have been distributed to first responders, the police, the Fire Department, hospitals, EMTs, etc. So, in the event of an emergency, if there's a 911 call and somebody says, go to 1313 Mockingbird Lane, they know exactly where to go."
Once the assignment of house numbers is transferred, pursuant to the passage of the charter revision, the Department of City Planning has indicated it may issue a general range of numbers for large, subdivided properties. It will also cut out forms which certify addresses with the NYPD and FDNY, as well as with the utilities, which can potentially delay or extend response times in emergencies.
"So, for example, if it was 1020 to 1050 Westwood Avenue, and there was a 911 call right there, unless there's a change, the first responders would literally have to knock on doors to determine who's having trouble as opposed to, as I say, the specific address," said Borough President Fossella. "This is public safety issue. We're just trying to ring the bell here before trouble hits. The right thing to do would be to delay the implementation until the city can demonstrate they can get it right and not put anyone in harm's way."
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