Former Roosevelt Island Operating Corp Director Jonathan Kalkin Sums Up Experience As RIOC Board Member - Cites Accomplishments and Future Challenges

Image of Former RIOC Director Jonathan Kalkin

Former Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board Director Jonathan Kalkin reviews his tenure on the Board and reports:

Democracy is fragile. As the son of an immigrant who was born in the Dominican Republic and lived under a dictator part of her life, I am reminded of this all the time. The things we take for granted, like voting for our leaders and being able to openly disagree with them and sometimes influence their decisions, is a gift that we miss only when we start to lose it.

Over the past couple of years, I have tried to take the lead on many of the issues that have plagued Roosevelt Island for most of the time we have been here. I took them on because they were difficult. My strong fellow board members followed me into uncharted territory and with little promise of success. Together, we moved forward to reform the way our government and Island worked, with the hope of making this a better place to live.

Affordable housing and privatization is probably the most complex issue that we face on the Island. Due to a constant shift in leadership and administrations, and the loaded nature of the issue, it starts and stops and is never completed. During my tenure as the chair of the Real Estate Advisory Committee, I tried to get the dialogue going between the agencies involved, any questions resolved, and, most importantly, moving forward to completion. I started by setting up a meeting at City Hall with every agency involved, to share documents and resolve any issues going forward. Since the board had never passed a resolution in favor of DHCR’s affordable housing plans, I put that on the agenda and we passed it as a commitment to moving forward in favor of long-term affordability for all Mitchell-Lama buildings. The end result is that the board has passed a lease extension that ensures long-term affordability for Rivercross and, most recently, moved forward in committee with the DHCR affordability plan for Island House. It pleases me that these milestones have been achieved, and I have confidence that our board will make sure that the last portion of this work is completed. I’m proud of our commitment to affordability, and that our resolution and work led to real results.

Main Street retail has been a problem for years, and it was one of the first things I tried to work on as a resident and then as a board member. The Retail Master Lease is proof that an idea can come from a resident and be approved by the Residents Association, move to the board, and become a solution that is mutually beneficial for the government and private business. It secures the present revenue stream for RIOC and shares profits above that, benefits the community with a competitive and vibrant retail environment, and takes government (and the long and onerous RFP process that goes with it) out of the business of retail management for the Island.

There will also be significant investment in the spaces to make them look great for tenants and for the community. However, to be especially successful, I recommend that you go to your favorite off-Island stores and restaurants, and tell them that Roosevelt Island is finally ready to rent stores. The more of you who reach out to entrepreneurs and businesses that you love and bring them to the Island, the better the choices we will have in the future. This plan will not only bring jobs and money into our economy, but Hudson-Related has significant retail experience, and the success of Main Street Retail helps promote the completion of the final buildings of Southtown. That will bring significant revenue for RIOC, which can help secure our promise of long-term affordability for the buildings in Northtown and help pay for our infrastructure and operational needs going forward.

Transportation on this Island has always had a dependability problem, and now it appears to be turning a corner. During my term as chair of the Operations Committee, we installed the Nextbus bus-tracking system, and a consistent schedule. Islanders have developed mobile apps to track the Red Bus Nextbus system, and many of these mobile apps will soon be posted with download instructions and websites at each bus stop. I had RIOC staff and myself meet at Google Headquarters to work on maps and screens at each bus stop so you can see when the next Red Bus is arriving even if you don’t own a mobile device.

 I’ve secured funding for electric-car charging stations for Motorgate, so we can get around greener on the Island. Verdant Power is working with the Island to power this with Tidal Energy. This, coupled with our new transportation manager, should make our transportation system more reliable around the Island. It will take time to get it right, but the foundation is in place to make it work.

Parking enforcement and availability will begin to improve with our smart-parking sensor system, which will hopefully be deployed throughout the Island. This, coupled with lower short-term parking prices at Motorgate, will make sure that people use short-term parking for its intended purpose – to drop off and pick up without double-parking. Public Safety officers are being trained with iPhones so that they can handle violations indicated by the sensors while focusing on keeping the Island safe. Improved parking systems will also make sure our new and improved retail corridor has the ample parking spaces that merchants need to thrive. Less double-parking and additional enforcement of parking rules will make sure that the Red Bus can keep on schedule. Also, a mobile app and street signage will indicate if there is parking available ahead, and allow payment so you don’t have to circle the Island.

Many of these suggestions and issues have been brought up on RIOC’s new RI311 issue-tracking system that is being tested. It is powered by the citizen-311 system SeeClickFix.com. It will soon be on the RIOC website, and it will help the community indicate the issues on the Island and vote up, comment, and take photos of these issues. When issues are resolved, everyone who indicated an interest will get an email notification that it has been closed.

I’m excited to start the next chapter of my life on Roosevelt Island by working on a team that will negotiate a community-benefit agreement with the new university planned for the southern end of Roosevelt Island. I believe this is a unique moment to work on a number of infrastructure improvements, like green affordable energy for everyone on Roosevelt Island, and an extension of the free Island-wide wi-fi Internet plan like the one that I worked on with Verizon and is being completed for Southpoint Park. Ferry service may prove feasible with university help, and a dock study is currently being completed. Ideas like a science school, scholarships for local students, and an advanced library will be negotiated to make sure that this university and Roosevelt Island mutually benefit from our relationship.

Community input and an independent elected board led to these improvements and ensure that they will continue. Ideas like Tram straps and a more stable ride, better stores, and other suggestions that led to a better Island came from the grassroots level. It is that commitment to the community that is threatened each time an unelected board member takes a seat. It unravels the fabric of our community, and despite the best intentions, it is a blow to our democracy and independence. Roosevelt Island is the embodiment of the American Dream, and no part of that dream should be compromised. Don’t let it happen.

The reason for Mr. Kalkin no longer being on the RIOC Board is discussed fully at previous post.