Back when I was at City Planning, when the first of several failed plans for Governor’s Island was being framed, there is one nightmare I hoped would be avoided. That at the urging of groups such as the Municipal Arts Society, the island would be parkland alone, and would not have revenues to support its maintenance. And therefore it would drain the budget of the NYC Parks Department, the most under-funded service (relative to average spending) in the New York City. Wealthier New Yorkers would continue to have decent park and recreation facilities, because they would pay for them themselves, in fees and “donations.” But poor and working class New Yorkers, who (unlike suburbanites with their private yards) rely on public parks for leisure and exercise, would lose out. And meanwhile, Governor’s Island would become the preserve of those affluent enough to afford an unsubsidized ferry trip, so the affluent would benefit from those Parks Department tax dollars, now diverted to Governor’s Island, but the less well off would not. My suggestion was to move the U.N. and embassies there and turn it into an “international peace island;’ the Giuliani Administration proposed a casino; a later iteration included CUNY; and still later an amusement park. But I knew as soon as Governor’s Island became the property of the city and state rather than the federal government, we were doomed. And now, according to the New York Observer, the nightmare is coming true.

On the other side of the country, the similar Presidio is a self supporting park, its entire cost (and then some) supported by commercial development. Its historic structures are no longer threatened. The Wikipedia entry about it seems about right based on information available to me, but additional reuse is ongoing, with more proposals being debated. The lead commercial use is Lucasfilm’s Letterman Digital Arts Center (LDAC), “which is now the headquarters of Industrial Light and Magic and LucasArts. The site replaced portions of what was the Letterman Hospital. George Lucas won the development rights for 15 acres (61,000 m²) of the Presidio, in June 1999, after beating out a number of rival plans.”

Back here in New York City, one of the first projects I worked on when at NYC Planning was the New York City Farm Colony, a Staten Island facility once used as a working farm to employ the indigent poor. Like Governor’s Island, it has (had?) many historic buildings that were in disrepair and threatened with deterioration without substantial reinvestment. A reuse housing development, with much of the site preserved as parkland, was proposed by the Koch Administration, but rejected by the “forgotten borough,” as were a number of subsequent proposals. A New York Times article from 1991 is here. Want to see the future of Governor’s Island? It will either be what you see here at the Farm Colony or it will destroy the rest of the NYC park system by draining it of funds. 

According to the Observer “the future these days is indeed looking grim for Governors Island, the city/state-owned former Coast Guard base that officials hope to turn into a grandiose park with accompanying commercial development. With no money in the state budget, the city may well follow with no money; and the nascent revitalization of the island could conceivably be cut short come April 1, when the state budget is due.” And how will people get there? “To add to the travails, the island’s operating agency, the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation, will have to give up its prized acquisition of recent years. At the Monday meeting, it said that the 770-passenger, half-century-old ferry it bought in 2007 for $500,000 has proved to be a lemon; new steel alone will likely cost at least $3 million more than expected, not to mention other deferred maintenance problems in need of money.”

So the boat will be sold. Perhaps New York Water Taxi will offer expensive rides there this summer for those affluent enough to afford them. And those opposed to any development on this sacred ground can enjoy the unsullied island proud of having avoided the fate the Presidio. Back in the rest of the city, I only hope the contributions we and our neighbors make to Prospect Park will be enough to ensure it continues to be viable despite the “preservation” of Governor’s Island and the fiscal disaster. East Flatbush? You’re out of luck.