Report From RIOC President Leslie Torres - Roosevelt Island Gets Some New Main Street Retail Stores, Tram Station Improvements Update, RI 311 See Click Fix, Cherry Blossom Festival & More

You Tube Video of RIOC President's Report 

Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) President Lesie Torres sends the following report to Roosevelt Island residents.

Greetings Roosevelt Islanders. I have a few updates and announcements about projects that will continue to improve life on the Island, so I’ll get right to it…

Main Street Redevelopment Moves Forward

Plans for the redevelopment of the Main Street retail corridor are moving forward.  Last summer, RIOC signed a 30-year lease with Hudson Related Retail LLC to improve the vibrancy and lure new business for the 100,000 square feet of retail space on Main Street.  Now, Hudson/Related is preparing to move into leases with retailers that will provide the Island with an expanded array of goods and services.  Among the new tenants will be organic market Wholesome Direct, a Subway sandwich store and a wine store.  Additionally, the Gristedes grocery store will be remodeled.

We partnered with Hudson/Related for this project because of their excellent track record, including the wonderful work they have done developing the buildings and commercial space in Southtown.  Now, with their plans for a retail makeover on Main Street, the Island will have a beautiful retail corridor that offers quality services to the entire community.

SeeClickFix Provides Island with Custom Mobile And Online Platform

Earlier this week we announced our innovative partnership with SeeClickFix to allow Roosevelt Island residents to report non-emergency issues and request Island services through its online and mobile platform. Launched last year, the place-based reporting platform allows residents to document neighborhood concerns and improvements alike, ranging from potholes and graffiti to litter and broken streetlights.  During the soft launch phase, which began in July 2011, 70 requests for service and other issues were reported to RIOC via SeeClickFix.

We are leveraging this comprehensive platform to increase efficiency when responding to service requests and more efficiently improve the Island’s infrastructure.  SeeClickFix helps us empower the citizens we serve and encourage them to actively engage with each other, their neighborhoods, and us.

With the online and mobile reporting platform, residents can report quality-of-life concerns through service request categories via the RIOC website, custom mobile applications (iPhone, Android, Blackberry), and SeeClickFix.com. When submitting issues via mobile app, for example, residents can provide locational, descriptive, and photographic information as they see the issue in real time. Once the resident submits an issue, RI311, and anyone ‘watching’ the area will receive an alert. RI311 can then acknowledge the service request, route it to the proper department, and update the request—and residents following the issue—once it’s been resolved.

The partnership allows residents to not only report community issues, but also view, comment on, and vote to fix problems submitted by their neighbors. Citizens can even create their own “watch areas” to receive notifications about all issues reported in their community, enabling them to follow the progress of all service requests – not just the ones they report.

RIOC’s SeeClickFix website can be found here: http://rioc.ny.gov/RI311.htm and residents can download iPhone, Android, and Blackberry apps here: http://www.seeclickfix.com/apps

Tram Station Updates

This week we started work on the Roosevelt Island and Manhattan Tram stations.  Work to modernize, beautify, and make the stations more comfortable for riders will be an ongoing project: We are doing our best to minimize disruptions for riders.

What can you expect when we're done?  I think the biggest change you'll see is an enclosure of the platforms and turnstiles.  For all of us who have taken the subway on a windy, cold day, we know what a relief enclosures will bring.  We'll also repair the stairs and repair, patch and paint the stations.

In the meantime, please use caution when walking near construction and have a safe ride.