New Springville remained largely rural until 1964, when the E. J. Korvette department store chain opened an outlet on the site of a former chicken farm.This was also the year the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge opened, greatly increasing population growth to the whole island.This was followed, in 1973, by the opening of the Staten Island Mall on the grounds of what had been a little-used airport, which changed the character of the neighborhood completely; soon adjacent land was converted to business (mostly retail) use as well.New Springville has also become a major public transportation hub, second in size on Staten Island only to that of the St. George ferry terminal; six city bus routes serve the area, including one going to Brooklyn, with the terminal at the Staten Island Mall on the Marsh Avenue side (the S79).Some instances: In addition to its explosive development as a business district, New Springville also experienced massive residential growth during the latter third of the 20th century, with thousands of single-family homes being built there, along with apartment and condominium complexes near the Staten Island Mall.