City Wrests Governors Island from State

In an agreement announced yesterday, the city will assume full control of Governors Island from the state, enabling the Bloomberg administration to move forward with a $41.5 million plan to give the island a face lift. Bloomberg has been pushing for full control of the 172-acre site for over a year, and until now the city has been unable to release the $41.5 million without matching funds from the state. "It was getting to the point where the city had the resources and wanted to develop the island," Governor Paterson told reporters at City Hall yesterday. "We could not match that money at the time and ... it was obfuscating the development of the island."

The island, which has received over $150 million for redevelopment since it was reopened for public use, has been co-owned by the city and state since they bought the former Coast Guard installation for $1 from the federal government in 2003. Last year the state's budget crisis held Governors Island hostage, making it difficult for the island to plan events because the state didn't commit funding until the last minute. Last summer, more than 275,000 visitors took the free ferry service to the island to attend concerts and art festivals, such as Figment and the New Island Festival.

As part of the new deal, the mayor will appoint 9 of the 13 members of a new Governors Island Operating Entity; the rest will be appointed by the governor, state legislators and a Manhattan community board. The operating costs will be shouldered by the city alone, except for the national monument at the center of the island, which will remain under the control of the National Park Service. According to the Times, operating Governors Island is expected to cost about $20 million over the next five years, officials said, on top of the $40 million the city has already set aside. And the city will also pick up the full tab for the ambitious rehabilitation project, estimated to cost $200 million, which will include a new 2.2-mile promenade along the water’s edge.

Officials announced yesterday that The Harbor School, a New York City public high school, will open in September with 400 students in attendance. And NYU is considering building a satellite campus on Governors Island, with dorms and faculty housing. Governors Island will be open every Friday to Sunday from June 5th to October 10th this year, and is accessible by ferry from Manhattan and Brooklyn.

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By John Del Signore in News on April 12, 2010 10:20 AM

Comments [rss]

xgeyiph772

Will the Second Ave subway go to Governor's Island? They both should be ready about the same time. Hope I can still see what's going on in NYC from beyond the grave!

JacqueMehoff

which part the State didn't want bloomberg's hands on?

this is all well and good but getting stuck on an island after some event is not for me. with no bridge.

Wza

Cool!

This is good for the city.

spiritross

With the NYU stuff aside this is a very good thing that the city not the state owns it now - much better access will be had to us and especially with all the state budget problems it could have been a dark summer on the island.

Mordicai

Right on; people are going to hate on Bloomberg no matter what, but this is a smart investment in the City; this isn't about partisan politics one way or the other.

FJF

I think Governor's Island is a worthwhile investment. It's a unique and beautiful piece of land that is currently underutilized. Plus, considering the massive amounts of money we put into other drawn-out and useless projects, the cost of this seems like chump change.

rhonda718

Who put this guy in charge?

I'm going with the voters... the same voters who just might understand that even while cutting your operating expenses, you might make capital investments that increase your revenues in the future.

You know.. like the real estate taxes, sales taxes, licensing fees that you might be able to generate in perpetuity from land that is actually being used...

unretrofiedforu

So let me get this straight: budgets both at the city level and state levels are a mess - we have massive layoffs and service cuts, and Bloomberg still wants to spend money to develop the island. Really? Who put this guy in charge?

dr zippy

What do you suggest as an alternative? The city budget may not be in great shape this year but the state budget is a basket case now and for the foreseeable future.

CR

Could someone please explain to me the high school that's opening on the island... Are there enough kids living there to warrant a high school?

roe

RE: NYU. If I recall correctly, one of the stipulations when the island was sold was that they were not permitted to have any sort of residential developments, and that if the city/state renege on that deal, the feds can take back the island. The only people who are allowed to stay there in shifts are a small group of workers who tend to the ferry/etc. I was also told that last year when they were planning a hotel on GI, they had to negotiate and figure out if that would be acceptable with the "no residents" rule.

So how the hell can NYU build dorms and faculty residences there?! Why are they going to be given another part of the city to ruin?!

roe

No kids live on the island now. The Harbor School is supposed to be a specialized high school for marine science and technology. GI is an excellent location for that.