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 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. Since then, New Springville has emerged as a commercial and administrative core, rivaling St. George. 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). The Yukon Bus Depot was opened in the early 1980s and can accommodate 380 buses.