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So this had already been kinda mentioned, but in case you were worried what Bloomberg and Dan Doctoroff were going to focus on next now that the West Side Stadium and the Olympics are dead (and assuming Blooms wins the election) the Daily News has the answer for you: Governors Island.
Doctoroff has told the News that development proposals for the 172 acre Island, separated from Brooklyn by the buttermilk channel (you learn something new every day), will be sought in February.
Current ideas being thrown around are a CUNY campus (which we think would be a dope way to throw some prestige back into a venerable institution), an Indy race track (is the one going in on Staten not going to be enough?), and something from the Related Cos (the people who brought you the fascist architecture that is the Time Warner Center). But really nothing seems set in stone yet.
So this is where you come in. If you had the power to make the decision, what would you want to see on Governors Island? We have one friend who thinks the city should build a non-CUNY university there to bring more brains to the city (he also wants to call it Empire State University, á la Spider-Man, but that is neither here nor there) and we have another friend who thinks the entire thing should be turned into urban planners paradise in the vein of Roosevelt Island and Battery Park City (which is an interesting idea, as the views on the island are pretty dope). Also, we vaguely remember some talk a while back of putting either an amusement park or a casino there (or are we making that up, anyone remember?). Which is to say, while we personally aren't sure what should get put on Governors Island we do know that we don't want it to suck (helpful, we know). What are your thoughts?
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Dear Gothamist,
I love you, but please don't refer to Staten Island as "Staten" again. At least abbreviate it as "SI".
Thanks.
Any development of Gov's Island would be severely
hampered by the fact that the only way to get there is by boat! I'm not talking about the construction, but about people actually living or working there.
Jon who lived there, sorry about that. One of my best friends, who also lived there for 18 years, has been pushing me to try to start the trend of dropping the island from the name (like manhattan island). no offense was intended, and anyway it's fun try it!
as for dave: I'm not sure that only being accessible by boat is necessarily that much of a problem. As long as ferry service to lower manhattan is consistent and plentiful I can even imagine that being used as a selling point. But that's just my gut talking.
affordable housing! please!
(fun fact: my mom, aunt, and uncle grew up on governor's island when it was a coast guard base.)
Public use. Public use. And even more public use.
I'm all for afforable housing, but ths is a rare gem in the middle of a hectic city. CUNY? Maybe. But it should be open to all and left as-is as much as possible.
What about making it a wildlife center?
If Bloomberg 'develops' this place and it gets infected by Manhattan real estate, it's all over.
Funny you should ask. I was thinking about this earlier in the year. As a resident of Brooklyn and a recreational paddle boater and involved in the performing arts I wrote to President Markowitz's office on this topic. I've appended my original message and the reply from his office.
My original message:
-------------------------------
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 10:52:45 -0400
To: AskMarty@brooklynbp.org
From: Jeffrey.Bary@nyu.edu
Subject: Is Governors Island part of Brooklyn ?
Cc: Jeffrey.Bary@nyu.edu
Dear President Markowitz,
I was recently looking at the web site for Governors Island:
http://www.govisland.org
Despite the fact the the borough of Brooklyn is closer to Governors Island than Manhattan there is no mention or representation of Brooklyn anywhere on the website. It appears that the de facto ownership of Governors Island seems to be with the borough of Manhattan.
I believe that Governors Island should be part of Brooklyn and Kings County. It represents a unique economic and cultural opportunity that should not be missed.
Brooklyn should:
1. Immediately begin a process to make Governors Island part of the borough of Brooklyn
2. Start weekend ferry service from Fulton Landing to and from Governors Island.
3. A welcome message from Borough President Markowitz should be added to the Governors Island website along with the messages from Governor Pataki, Mayor Bloomberg and Chairman Daniels.
4. Extend the economic development zone in and around downtown Brooklyn and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Master Plan to include Governors Island.
5. Schedule a "Celebrate Brooklyn" event for Summer 2006 to take place in Brooklyn. Include Brooklyn Bridge Park and Governors Island as main venues. A temporary floating pedestrian bridge should be constructed from Brooklyn across Buttermilk Channel to Governors Island for the event.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Jeffrey Bary
------------------------------------
Subject: Your inquiry to Marty Markowitz
Date: Mon, 23 May 2005 14:34:18 -0400
Thread-Topic: Your inquiry to Marty Markowitz
Thread-Index: AcVfxkHnCoo65Wx+TQ6Vv1aiFh5fFQ==
From: eoettinger@brooklynbp.nyc.gov
To: Jeffrey.Bary@nyu.edu
Dear Mr. Bary:
As his economic development coordinator, Marty asked me to respond to your suggestions about Governor’s Island. As you note, Governor’s Island is closer to Brooklyn than to Manhattan; however, when the Federal government turned the island over to the City in 2003, it officially became part of the borough of Manhattan.
Marty very much wants Brooklynites to be able to enjoy Governor’s Island’s beauty and to have easy access to its events and new facilities. The development for Governor’s Island is still in planning stages, and I encourage you to submit your suggestions to the Governor’s Island Preservation and Education Corporation, available through their website under the “Get Involved” link.
Thank you for contacting Marty’s office.
Sincerely-
Ellen Oettinger
Ellen Oettinger
Economic Development & Capital Budget
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz
718 802 3877
----------------------------------
Maybe the city can trade Gov Island to NYU in exchange for lower manhattan.
A year ago I took a tour of Governor's Island with a Park Ranger who happened to grow up there. (One of her parents was in the Coast Guard.) She explained that there were two restrictions on the use of the island when it was turned over. One was that it could not be used for permanent residences, and the other was that it could not be used for a casino. The rules last for a certain period of time...forty or fifty years maybe?
So some good-hearted person made sure that Governor's Island does not turn into Vegas or an exclusive enclave for the rich! Very nice.
This place is really special. Feels like a small country town that is sleeping. No cars, very quiet. I highly recommend a visit!
How 'bout trade it to Columbia? Then they can stop pretending like they give a shit about Harlem, and
assuage all those nervous parents who don't want their babies living in/near such an "unsafe" neighborhood.
I will bet anything that whatever happens to Governor's Island, it will be a boon to one of Doctoroff's friends. That has been the Deputy Mayor's M.O.
The track being built on SI is a Nascar track, not an Indy track.
Put the UN there. No more street closings, diplomatic cars taking up the good parking sopts etc. Keep 'em all on the island.
Buttermilk Channel:
...
February-April 1806, The Medical Repository, pg. 433:
The passage between Governor's-Island and Long-Island, formerly called Butter-milk channel, and within the memory of man, both narrow and shallow, is now eight fathoms deep.
September 1815, The American Magazine, pg. 173:
She lost one of her wheels and anchors, and was driven into the bay below Governor's Island, in danger of foundering. At day-light, however, she contrived to beat into Buttermilk Channel, and fortunately got into Whitehall.
At one point a number of years ago, they were talking about using it as a downtown commuter type airport. The idea being that it might offload some of the traffic that plagues Laguardia and make for a quick and easy trip from Washington/Boston/Chicago/etc. to lower Manhattan. It was dismissed as basically asinine even before 9/11.