Whose Governors Island Is It?
Brooklyn is closer to Governors Island than any other land mass—a mere 400 yards—but, alas, it belongs to Manhattan. The New York Times revived the grumbling about what some perceive as this unfairness in an article this weekend. “Although the island is legally part of Manhattan, its sewage and water pipes pass through Brooklyn. As…
Brooklyn is closer to Governors Island than any other land mass—a mere 400 yards—but, alas, it belongs to Manhattan. The New York Times revived the grumbling about what some perceive as this unfairness in an article this weekend. “Although the island is legally part of Manhattan, its sewage and water pipes pass through Brooklyn. As a result, some irate Brooklynites regard their borough as the service entrance, Manhattan as the front door and Governors Island as the parlor where the influential entertain their guests.” Some think the answer is to allow the two boroughs to share claim to the place, the way Manhattan and Queens each have a stake in Roosevelt Island. Is that the solution?
Governors Island 013. Photo by joevare.
I think that the Brooklyn Bridge Park is an amalgomation of corruption at the state, city, and personal levels. Everyone involved should be indicted for criminal misuse of public funds.
It is the classic tale of how things cannot get done in Brooklyn.
The next chapter for that stretch of waterfront will be as a stagiing area for the reconstruction of the BQE cantilever. You mark my words. that project should take fifteen or so years.
“Let’s start with the impending hole in the ground that would be AY.”
Or the current hole in the ground that been there since at least the 1960s.
bxgirl – that sounds vaguely familiar, but I have to confess that I don’t recall the details. I doubt a casino would be allowed by the deed restrictions, but I’d have to double check to be sure. As I remember it, all that would be allowed would be “educational uses”, leisure/recreation uses and hotel/convention use. I’d have to do some research to be sure – I’ll admit that it’s been a while since I thought about Gov Isle and I’ve forgotten the specifics.
Perhaps some up and coming entrepreneur could start an airlift service for Ikea customers whose packages are too big to carry. Parachute them out over various target areas in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island to be added later. Drop ship would acquire a whole new meaning.
MMHPH- weren’t there some proposals for casinos on GI put forward by the City? Or was that just one of many pie in the sky ideas out there?
It’s easier for most people in Brooklyn to go via Manhattan than to get to a ferry in Red Hook. Progressive thinking would have put the Ikea on GI with free ferries to both boroughs, thus leaving Red Hook free for the incipient resurgence of the ship repair industry.
Actually, the Calatrava gondola was to distract the press from the fact that the development corporation was re-issuing the request for proposals because there weren’t any viable submissions the first go round.
What is CB6 proposing? A bridge? Or do they just want to have jurisdiction?
tyburg 6 – As I understand it, there are some pretty strict deed restrictions that were imposed on the island by the feds when they “gave” it back to NY a couple of years ago. One if those restrictions was that there be no permanent residential development there. I think that if a university wanted to build dorms there, that would be, but not real housing.
Also, I thought the Calatrava gondola idea was to connect the island to Manhattan, not to Brooklyn…
And Sam – I’ll take that bet about Brooklyn Bridge Park. Bid documents for the first part of the part are actually out right now to contractors. That means that they are actually hiring people to build it. I think it’s time to curb the skepticism on this one.
I think we should invade.