RIOC Session on Mini-School Conversions 
Is a Bust as Residents Walk Out in Protest

Developer WillStay With Plan

"Luxury residences represent the highest and best use in a residential community, and they would increase the overall value of the existing housing."

After Monday night’s meeting, in which she was unable to make a planned presentation on her plans, developer Diane Wilson spoke with The WIRE. She claims her plans will have a strong positive effect in the community, at little cost in residents’ views.

"I don’t know the politics here," she said. "I’m disappointed that I wasn’t able to give factual information regarding the proposed conversion. I don’t know why events unfolded the way they did."

Wilson said that she has not yet reached the limit of her willingness to pursue this project. RIOC has her bond of $50,000 or more, and she says she has invested over half a million dollars in the plan, for engineering studies and architectural work.

Under the plan, each of three mini-schools — at Rivercross, Island House, and Westview — would be turned into five or six private residences. Each mini-school would get a partial second-floor addition for master bedrooms, resulting in units of 2500 to 3500 square feet.

Wilson says the impact would be minimal, and mostly positive. She says that skylights now on the Island House mini-school, for example, extend four feet, seven inches above the roof, and block the views of Island House residents. "The second-floor ceiling would go about eleven feet above the roof line," Wilson says, and they would be positioned to avoid disruption of sight lines.

"In Rivercross, of the 400 units I would have some impact on a few units, one way or the other. Right now they have trees and the garden [blocking views]. There are already existing obstructions of foliage."

Morse Diesel representative Vincent Arcuri, who joined Wilson for a conversation with The WIRE, said of the Island House impact, "These second floor additions are less obtrusive than the existing skylights, and in some cases open up better view corridors. They only affect the sight lines in four locations."

Asked about hostility arising from Roosevelt Island’s charter as a community of affordable housing, Arcuri said, "What’s been missing here is the high end. The sixteen [residences proposed] will not overpower the income mix here." Wilson agreed: "From what I read of the master plan, this Island was supposed to be mixed-income, not just exclusively for moderate or low or luxury. It was supposed to mimic the same demographics [as the rest of the City], a blend of all classes."

"Was it appropriate for you to represent RIOC tonight?" The WIRE asked Arcuri. "As I understand the charge given at the last Board meeting," Arcuri responded, "it was my duty to conduct this public information session tonight whereby the proposed developer could present her proposal and respond to any questions or comments from the community, to document those questions and comments, and report back to RIOC, to Jerry Blue.

"In my opinion what [the residents] should have done is demand a meeting with Blue to discuss it face-to-face with him. This was the information meeting. So I think they reacted incorrectly... My personal opinion, if I was on your side on the Island, I would have heard [the presentation] and then demanded a meeting with Dr. Blue about it."

Wilson commented that deterioration of the mini-schools is already serious. "If not cured soon, it will cost RIOC a lot to fix. Whether I develop the products or not, somebody is going to have to stabilize the buildings."

Wrapping up her talk with The WIRE, she said, "My goal is always to create win-win situations and [in this case] that is still my goal."