Battling to Preserve the Soul of Governors Island

By Bruce Trigg

Nestled in the New York Harbor, just a stone’s throw away from the bustling streets of lower Manhattan and the vibrant neighborhoods of Brooklyn, Governors Island stands as a beacon of tranquility amidst the urban chaos. But behind its serene facade lies a battleground, a struggle in imminent danger of turning into a high-rise profit-driven over-development and exclusive destination shopping center for the wealthy.

It takes just an eight minute ferry ride to escape the bustle of Manhattan (ferries come from Brooklyn too) and enjoy this peaceful historic village, former military fort, and open space. It’s also an art center, the home of the Billion Oyster Project, an organic farm, and a NYC high school. More than a million New Yorkers visit annually to catch the ocean breezes, picnic, bicycle and stroll about and to take in the magnificent views of the harbor. Especially for working class families, many with children, the affordable cost and convenience of a day on Governors Island makes it a special summer treat. Unfortunately it has also become special to NYC mayors who see it as a public space that they can privatize and assist their real estate developer friends in making a profit.

In 2003, the federal government transferred Governors Island to the City and the State with restrictions “intended to ensure the protection and preservation of the natural, cultural and historic qualities of Governors Island, enhance the ability of the public to enjoy Governors Island, and increase the quality of life in the surrounding community, the City, the State, and the United States.” Sounded good but it was not to last.

Just as nature abhors a vacuum, the City Administration abhors an open space that is not developed to the maximum. In 2016, the City dumped this vision in favor of a mega-dense real estate development, greenwashed by a Center for Climate Change. Mayor DeBlasio described Governors Island as “the site of a sweeping economic development project,” a “Project to Support City’s Economic Recovery,” that would “create 8K jobs and an estimated $1 billion of fiscal impact for the City, all on Governors Island alone,” and proposed zoning amendments to “facilitate the development of a new 24/7 mixed-use campus.”

The Trust for Governors Island is a nonprofit corporation created by The City of New York that is responsible for the redevelopment and operation of the Island. The Trust members are appointed by the mayor and other elected officials. It’s membership reads like a Who’s Who of Wall Steet bankers, real estate developers, large architectural firms, powerful politicians, and corporate consultants; those with the most to gain from this transformation. Some of them have played leading roles in other publicly subsidized and over-developed projects such as the infamous Hudson Yards.

In order to turn a public park into a private office complex, the Trust had to apply for rezoning the southern part of the island. This NYC rezoning process is opaque and undemocratic and always seems to work in favor of the developers. The GOVERNORS ISLAND rezoning process took place during the darkest period of the COVID pandemic which assured that there would be minimal public scrutiny and involvement in the process. Open public meetings were replaced by Zoom webinars where the Trust consultants and Governors Island developers were given unlimited time to present their slick Powerpoint presentations while members of the public had just two minutes to respond and this was left for the end of the meeting. It worked, for them, like a charm.

Predictably, the City Planning Commission certified the rezoning application and it was approved by the City Council with only minor changes. The rezoning allows for up to 4.5 million square feet of development including 26 story office buildings, academic institutions including dorms, luxury hotels, office towers, biotech/research, manufacturing and high end “destination” retail. Visitors to the island will no longer get to enjoy the full 360 degree view of the harbor from Lookout Hill, the highest elevation on the island, because part of it will be obscured by high rise buildings. Only the corporate executives in their private top floor offices will now get to enjoy these unobstructed views of the harbor and the Statue of Liberty. Emma Lazarus be damned!

Metro Area Governors Island Coalition (M.A.G.I.C.) has led the efforts to save Governors Island. They have filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of the rezoning. We lost in the State Supreme Court, but we have appealed to the Appellate Division where oral arguments were heard on Feb. 8th. At a press conference on Feb. 7th speakers in support of the appeal included District 1 City Council Member Christopher Marte, lawsuit attorney John Low-Beer, M.A.G.I.C. co-founder Roger Manning, and representatives from groups who joined Council Member Marte in an amicus brief supporting the lawsuit: City Club President Layla Law-Gisiko, Harriet Hirshorn of East River Park Action, Michele Campo of The Bowery Alliance of Neighbors, Michael Kramer of The South Street Seaport Coalition.

The decision of the Appellate Court remains pending.

---

To view the video of the oral arguments and for more info on the lawsuit, or to learn about M.A.G.I.C.’s alternative vision for Governors Island, to see renditions of what Governors Island will look like in the future, and to join the struggle to save Governors Island, contact: Metro Area Governors Island Coalition (M.A.G.I.C.) govislandcoalition.org