Tuesday, November 18, 2008

RIOC Real Estate Committee Meeting On Main Street Retail Disgrace, Thursday November 20 - Community Invited To Share Views

Image of Roosevelt Island Main Street from Wikipedia

We all know that the long vacant retail stores on Roosevelt Island's Main Street are a disgrace and blight on the community. I can't even remember how many years it has been since these stores were occupied. The reason given for the inability to lease up these stores is the Public Authorities Act cumbersome procedures requiring the issuance of an RFP for each store lease.

What is RIOC's latest plan for Main Street? They are going to study the issue and hire a consultant. According to RIOC:
NOTICE OF THE NOVEMBER 20th, 2008 MEETING OF THE REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF THE ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a meeting of the Real Estate Development
Advisory Committee of the RIOC Board of Directors will be held on
Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 4:00 p.m. at the RIOC administrative office, 591 Main Street, Roosevelt Island, New York. The committee will meet to discuss retention of consultant to assist in studying and making recommendations on optimizing Main St. use and space planning and ascertaining the community's preferred retail uses, and recommending most appropriate uses for market and community service needs.
I am glad that something is being done but is it too much nitpicking and sniping to ask why has it taken so long to solve the Roosevelt Island Main Street retail problem?