What's Happening With Roosevelt Island's Empty Main Street Stores? Will They Ever Be Filled - Just One Little Ice Cream Shop?

Main Street Image From Jones Lang LaSalle

 Roosevelt Island residents have long been fed up with the empty storefronts along Main Street. Commenting on Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) President Leslie Torres recent column, one reader noted:

Nothing about the empty stores on Main Street. No surprise there.

followed by Trevre who remarked:

I am really astonished that in the year I have lived here, the retail options have actually shrunk. I don't understand what is so difficult, advertise the spaces, negotiate a lease for each one, business will come for the right price (which would be more than the big fat zero they have been getting for the last god knows how many months). It doesn't matter what RIOCs excuse is on this one, they haven't delivered, they've screwed up, and someone should take responsibility to make it right. Madam President must have thought we all have just forgotten about this gigantic island issue and decided if she didn't mention it, all of the sheep on the island wouldn't ask any questions. Or maybe she just doesn't know how to get the word out, so here are some examples so you can see how the rest of New York City does it. Its amazing how RIOC can accomplish so many things but fail in such a basic area.

Another reader responds to Trevre:

In all fairness, Roosevelt Island is not like any other place in NYC. It is managed by the state and there is a lot of red tape to overcome, especially when it comes to leasing the retail spaces. The landlord of those stores is the RIOC and not the owners of the buildings they are in. That makes things a lot more complicated.

All that said, I agree that it should be a piece of cake to fill the store fronts. There is plenty of interest from on and off island merchants. I disagree that this has anything to do with parking. The only people that will frequent these stores will be islanders and the occasional tourist.

Now I have to say, though, that I do not care much about those store fronts. If they end up to be like the existing stores I have very little interest to use them. I am used to do most of my errands off-island anyway. The stores are not going to change my habits much. Since I have children, though, I'd like to see a donut/ice cream shop. Something like a Dunkin Donuts/Baskin-Robbins thing that you can find all over New York.

RIOC Director Jonathan Kalkin, chair of RIOC's Real Estate Committee, who initiated the Main Street Retail Master Leaseholder proposal provides the current status on the Main Street Retail situation:

I am happy and excited to announce that the Master Lease RFP for Main Street Retail is in final preparation to create a final proposal for full board approval. Since this is a RIOC RFP it has to follow the Public Authority guidelines for a disposition of property. These are the same guidelines that would take normally only one store several months or even a year or more to be rented. However, this will be done once through this Master Lease process and then we can actually have stores rented easily and quickly without the burden of going through this long process ever again.

This reader does not think that a retail Master Leaseholder is necessary to rent the Main Street Stores and writes:

Dunkin Donuts had expressed interest in coming here but only in the space occupied by the art gallery (the only establishment on the island that reflects the fact that it is in New York City and not the third world.

Parking spaces are not needed. How many stores in Manhattan provide parking spaces? RI is ONE SUBWAY STOP from midtown Manhattan. It is shocking to me how many people still do not realize that RI has a subway stop. While I agree that island stores would be used primarily by residents, and are what are most necessary, if there were other stores interesting enough to attract others, they would come. We don't need a master plan or bulk retailer; we need a RIOC President who is willing to go to Albany and get an exception made to the regulations that are preventing our storefronts from being rented. The circumstances that prompted the regulations do not apply to Roosevelt Island and an exception could be made, if only someone would do the work.

I think getting a private sector real estate developer, such as Southtown developer Hudson/Related Companies, as the Roosevelt Island Master Leaseholder is a great idea, depending of course upon the specific terms of the deal. Once and for all, let's just get the government/RIOC out of the business of retail store leasing and put a professional real estate company in charge.

Here's more on the Main Street Master Leaseholder from earlier posts, audiocasts of RIOC committee meetings dealing with the Master Leaseholder proposal and Roosevelt Island Main Street Retail Study.