RIOC Seeking Real Estate Development Counsel - For What?
RIOC has just issued a Request for Proposals/Bids for a real estate development counsel. According to the RFP:
The Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation State of New York ("RIOC") seeks Development Counsel for development projects on Roosevelt Island. DevelopmentI inquired of RIOC President Steve Shane if this RFP for a real estate development counsel indicated a change in the development policy for Roosevelt Island as represented by this earlier statement regarding the proposed Riviera project by Mr Shane:
Counsel shall advise, assist and represent RIOC with respect to real estate
transactions, litigation, land use, environmental review, housing and commercial
matters, negotiations with developers, lessors, licensees and other grovernmental
bodies, and such other special projects as RIOC may from time to time assign.
Services rendered to RIOC may include: negotiation of real estate transactions,
drafting of site control and/or designation letters, development agreements, ground
lease agreements and other necessary and related documents; reviewing documents
that may include but are not limited to: financing agreements, mortgages, contracts
or any other related documents; advising and counseling RIOC with respect to
environmental review and regulatory and compliance requirements; advising and
counseling RIOC with respect to construction matters; representing RIOC in
litigation; representing RIOC at meetings and conferences in connection with the
foregoing; representing RIOC in any other related matter whether directly or
indirectly related to the development and construction of any development project
on Roosevelt Island; and preparing and/or reviewing requests for proposals for
development projects on Roosevelt Island. Roosevelt Island, NY 10044 (212)832-4540 www.rioc.com. ...
To my understanding, the 5500+/- units to exist on completion of Southtown will be the end of development.Mr. Shane replies that the development policy for Roosevelt Island has not changed.
Absolutely not. Our real estate development counsel, to be on board as preapproved, would be available for the ground lease negotiation with the developer of buildings 7,8 and 9, the possible development of the Sportspark and Tennis complex, lease extensions for the Wire buildings, etc.Building 7,8 and 9 refer to the unbuilt portion of Hudson/Related's Riverwalk project in Southtown. Here is additional information from the Main Street WIRE on the possible development of the Sportspark and tennis complex as well as earlier posts on why I thought the license extension for the Roosevelt Island Racket Club from the year 2031 to 2046 was very ill advised, a bad deal for RIOC and Roosevelt Island. (Correction - earlier version of this post did not include license extension date to 2046) Also, some background on the lease extensions for WIRE buildings.
In addition to the real estate development counsel RFP, RIOC is also seeking a Labor & Employment Counsel. RIOC is certainly trying to make some lawyers happy.
UPDATE 12:45 - Mr. Shane takes exception to the last sentence of this post regarding "making some lawyers happy". He writes:
Your recent blog is really ridiculous. The point of an RFP is to seek the best prices for services to be rendered. Paying competative prices for services rendered is not a prescription for making anyone particularly happy in the venal, sneering, snide voice of your commentary. Have you nothing better to offer?I replied to him as follows:
I am sorry if you interpreted the last sentence as being "venal', "sneering" etc. That was not the intent, never is. Ask some other people at RIOC if they felt the same way. It was merely a comment relating to our over lawyered society and not directed at this partricular RFP.
I will post your comment on blog if you have no objection and see if others feel the same way you do.
6 comments :
sorry, you are a bit snarky. steve shane is doing as good a job as i have ever seen here, and i think we should give him the benefit of the doubt now and then. when they do mess up, we can point it out, but i don't think we'll want him to feel under siege all the time, every time.
Last I looked, we had freedom of speech, snarky or otherwise. I don't equate healthy skepticism of government with yelling 'fire' in a crowded theatre. I haven't seen the RFP, but I hope it's for services by the hour, because the work described certainly doesn't merit 2,000 full-time hours/year.
Your post was fine. The man is not perfect: He is obviously thin-skinned. Also, I do not think he understands, nor appreciates, the great service to Democracy that blogs like yours serves. He is the unelected steward of the lives of the residents of Roosevelt Island, he better get used to be accountable, to the bloggers at the very least!
Keep doing your job and keep RIOC's feet to the fire. His testy response is just an attempt to intimidate the freedom of the press.
I don't know about the previous blogger, but last time I looked, Mr. Shane and the new RIOC Team are improving things all over the island. While I believe in Freedom of Speech, I also believe if you continuously snipe at those doing well for you, there will come a time where they will become cynical and less caring. Let's choose our battles and our words wisely.
I find the last comment astounding.
RIOC is a NY State public benefit corporation whose purpose is to serve the people of Roosevelt Island not the other way around.
If, as the commenter posits, an employee of RIOC becomes cynical and less caring because of any criticism by a resident, then the answer is that they should be fired, not that it is our fault for being critical.
Hear, hear, Roosevelt Islander - you go!! Absolutely correct here.
Look at any suburban community, with a population 4 or 5 times greater than RI. Take a look at how many employees those towns have on the payroll. Then compare that to RIOC, the so-called 'public benefit corporation', and ask yourself what great public purpose they serve. They are nowhere near as accountable to the citizens, or even to the very state government that created them, as any typical suburban local government.
Yes, the island is looking physically better than before, and those in charge are more responsive than the previous administration, but always ask if they are anywhere as efficient and lean as they could be. And if the above question is answered by effrontery, I think you know the answer.
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