Guess what - that will soon happen. Several reliable sources have told me that Hudson Related is about to sign a lease with a Roosevelt Island resident for an Ice Cream Store on Main Street. Hopefully this will occur in the next few days but just to be clear, the lease has not been signed and Hudson Related has not confirmed the accuracy of this report.
In other Roosevelt Island Main Street retail news, Hudson Related has removed the glass window from Main Street Arcade at 568 Main
and is constructing a prototype in the area to test possible designs of what the Arcade might look like.The proposed mockup should be completed in a few weeks.
Some residents have expressed unhappiness with Hudson Related's plan to remove the Arcade windows. For instance, resident Raye Schwartz writes:
Please consider this.
Whether or not we, Kramer, H-R or the current RIOC or RIRA likes or dislikes the aesthetics of glass partitions is irrelevant. Roosevelt Island was built as a planned community to integrate a variety of levels of housing and a diverse population into a multi-everything community: income, age, mobility, physically challengedm, ethnicity, etc.. That meant that disabled people and seniors would have more mobility and freedom than in any other place in New York, and probably even the country. So to compare it to other places that manage without glass partition protection in spite of inclement weather is missing the point...unless one wants to ignore the intent of this community
While it is essential to improve the retail corridor, removing the glass partitions will wipe out everything this island stands for, or at least was meant to stand for. And the argument about sanitation is absurd too...not when Kramer is entertaining the notion to place a "Subway" store at 531 Main Street and Public Safety will not do a damn thing to get people to stop feeding the pigeons, squirrels and rats because "it's a city ordinance and they work for the state"! Same is true for ignoring the trash the people throw on the ground, the lawns and into planters, not only on Main Street, but outside of Starbucks and Motorgate as well. It seems as if RIOC and Kramer are catering to the trust fund babies and yuppies as they are making efforts to obliterate and override everything this island was meant to be, rather than incorporating new ideas and improvements into the current model. Yes Virginia, improvements, not obliteration, are needed.
Those glass partitions should not be removed. However, they could be improved. Perhaps they could be replaced with larger shatterproof and non-reflective glass panels and the ugly and dirty metal partitions could be removed. The store windows should also be revamped. And instead of the enormous red mastheads, make those smaller and install better lighting so that the storefronts are visible through the glass both day and night. Directories should also be installed on both sides of Main Street, such as the "you are here" directories they have in malls, with maps and store listings as well as arrows. Thos directories should be on both the north end and south end of Main Street, as well as at the tram and the mall at Southtown. They should be all inclusive of the entire retail corridor, from Motorgate and the post office, all the way down to Southpoint Park.
Another thing to consider, not only for seniors or the disabled, is that Main Street is a wind tunnel and those glass panels provide safety and protection for everyone on rainy or stormy days, not just when there's snow. That protection is not only for seniors and the disabled, but also for the kids who attend PS 217, The Child School and even the day nursery.
And as a matter of fact, there should also be some standards for the window displays of all the shopkeepers, i.e. the video/general store which thankfully is somewhat hidden by those partitions! And in addition, when is Urban America going to remove thos hideous chartreuse signs from Eastwood?
I therefore submit the idea that a better aesthetic and the needs of the people of this community can exist in a symbiotic relationship without one sacrificing the other. Just in case RIOC forgot to tell Kramer about the needs of this community, someone please tell him to go back to the drawing board and come up with a better solution that will work for both the people and retail.
Let's not throw out the baby when we simply need to change the bath water!
Roosevelt Island resident Fred Plastino, who chairs Roosevelt Island Residents Association (
RIRA) Main Street Retail subcommittee, has a different point of view on the window arcade removal:
Let me start off by saying, I have walked many nights in the cold and rain to and from the garage to my home. And while I appreciate the protection of the overhang, I can't say removing the glass and planters will significantly change things under most conditions.
The intent is to open up views, light, and visibility to and from the store fronts. Hudson and their architects feel this is a step in the right direction towards improving street appeal, and I happen to agree. Opposition to this change has been voiced many times, and David Kramer is aware.
They've been hired to revitalize the retail corridor, I think we should give them a chance to implement their ideas for improvement. It's not beyond the realm of possibility they might consider re-establishing the original design if things don't work out. However, if you disagree you can contact David Kramer directly. He has extended this invitation to everyone.
For now, I am just happy about the Ice Cream store!!!
Jamaica-bound trains run via the 
from 47-50 Sts to Roosevelt Av
