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 April 30, 2005 |
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The RIOC Column 
On Thursday, April 21, Supreme Court Justice William Wetzel handed a victory to all Islanders who are committed to historic preservation, open-space enhancement and affordable housing. In a decisive opinion, the Court rejected a motion brought by the Roosevelt Island Residents Association - Steve Marcus as President, Margie Smith as Vice President, and Sherie Helstien as Secretary - to stop the Octagon project from moving forward. The Court opinion affirmed what many of us have known for a long time - that the Octagon building is a historic jewel that deserves to be restored and maintained to its original grandeur and that the space surrounding the Octagon building, which for the past 20 years has lain in ruin, inaccessible to Island residents, will be enhanced for all Islanders. RIOC is gratified by the Judge's decision. Judge Wetzel found that RIOC and the Board of Directors exercised due diligence in approving this project, seeking all necessary approvals and soliciting input from the public and from other governing bodies. The Court decision found the Octagon project to be entirely consistent with the General Development Plan for Roosevelt Island and consistent with the Roosevelt Island Open Space Law and with RIOC's efforts to further the use of areas surrounding the Octagon Tower as open space. Had opponents of the project prevailed, the result would have meant the ongoing decay of the Octagon Tower, delayed construction of Octagon Park, its continued isolation from the people of the Island, the elimination of 100 new affordable housing opportunities for Island residents eager to have as many housing options as possible available to them, the loss of a new day-care center on the Island, and the forfeiture of a new ecological park. We needed to win this case for the people of Roosevelt Island and we did, convincingly. It is the right of every American to protest, through legal channels, what they perceive to be an injustice. Unfortunately, in this case, the decision by RIRA to oppose the Octagon project - despite its obvious merits as confirmed in the Judge's decision - comes at a considerable cost to Island residents. RIOC was forced to divert nearly $300,000 in resources to defend the lawsuit brought by RIRA. In the end, many of the claims put forward by RIRA were determined by the Court to be "disingenuous" and indicative of a "desperate reach." How unfortunate that RIOC had to spend its money defending against RIRA's claims rather than channeling these funds into much more worthy causes, like fortification of the Renwick Ruin, more frequent bus trips for our seniors, new Public Safety squad cars, and improvements to the Island's parks, sportsfields, and roads. I believe all Island residents would prefer to see the limited resources of the Island reinvested right here on the Island to the benefit of all Island residents. I invite all Island residents to engage in a constructive dialogue on how to continue to move the Island forward. Working cooperatively together, we can achieve great things for the Island and its people.
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