Treasure Island Development Authority
Treasure Island Development Program
Item 9: Tour of New York Parks
February 5, 2019
Treasure Island Development Authority
Operation of Treasure Island Parks & Open Spaces
• Parks to remain under TIDA Jurisdiction
• Not under management of San Francisco
Recreation & Parks Department
• Open Space Plan anticipated that TIDA might work with a
conservancy and contract out operations
• TI/YBI Community Facilities District
funds park maintenance/operations
in perpetuity
Treasure Island Development Authority
Treasure Island Parks and Opens Space Network
Treasure Island Development Authority
Treasure Island Parks and Opens Space Network
Wide range of program areas each with their ownunique management considerations
Treasure Island Development Authority
Itinerary
• On November 29th and 30th a contingent of TIDA and TICD
representatives toured several parks in Manhattan and
Brooklyn
• Board President Fei Tsen and Director Linda Richardson
• Robert Beck, Mirian Saez and Kate Austin, TIDA Staff
• Chris Meany, Treasure Island Community Development
• Will Fleissig and Martin Wiggins, TICD Staff
• Chris Guillard, CMG Landscape Architecture
• Jill Manton, San Francisco Arts Commission
Treasure Island Development Authority
Areas of Interest
• Best practices for the development, governance and
conservancy of open space and parklands
• Design innovations
• Operational structures and programs
• Art programs
• Financial/institutional models including affiliated
endowments
• Governance and operational rule making
Treasure Island Development Authority
Parks Visited
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Treasure Island Development Authority
Overview of Parks and Public Open Spaces
• Conversation with Charles McKinney & Robert Balder
• Charles McKinney
• Chair, City as Living Laboratory
• Former Chief of Design for New York City Parks
• Robert Balder
• Director of Cornell AAP
Treasure Island Development Authority
Brooklyn Bridge Park
• Site• The majority of the site was formerly a bulk cargo shipping and
storage complex built by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in the 1950s
• MOU mandates that maintenance and operations of the park be economically self-sufficient, financed through revenues from commercial and residential development within the site
• Timeline – MOU signed 2002, Master Plan released 2005 Construction began 2008. As of July 2018 park is 90% complete.
• Acreage – 85 acres, 1.3 miles long
• www.brooklynbridgepark.org
• Guides – Michael Van Valkenburgh & Paul Seck of MVVA
Treasure Island Development Authority
Brooklyn Bridge Park
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Treasure Island Development Authority
Domino Park
• Site
• Landmarked former Domino Sugar Refinery. Park design
incorporates salvaged factory equipment.
• Opened up waterfront that had been inaccessible for decades
• Timeline – Domino Sugar Factory closed 2004. Land
purchased 2012. Park opened 2018.
• Acreage – 6 acres, .25 miles long
• www.dominopark.org
• Guide – Lisa Switkin, James Corner Field Operations
Treasure Island Development Authority
Domino Park
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Treasure Island Development Authority
Brooklyn Navy Yard
• Site• Active shipyard for the US Navy early 1810s-1960s • BNYDC’s mission is to fuel New York City’s economic vitality by
creating and preserving quality jobs, growing the City’s modern industrial sector and its businesses, and connecting the local community with the economic opportunity and resources of the Yard
• Timeline – 1969 NYC reopens the Yard as an industrial park. In 2011 Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC) began large-scale program to redevelop the Yard. By 2015 over 330 businesses were located in the Yard. BNYDC released updated Master Plan January 2018.
• Acreage – 300 acres
• www.brooklynnavyyard.org
• Guide – Tiffany Townsend, VP of External Affairs
Treasure Island Development Authority
Brooklyn Navy Yard
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Treasure Island Development Authority
Hudson River Park
• Site• Hudson River Park emerged from failed ’70s-’80s proposal to replace
the dilapidated West Side Highway with an interstate highway.
• Relies solely on private funds to maintain the park and produce programming and public events.
• Timeline – MOU signed 1992. Construction began 1998. First segment in Greenwich Village opened in 2013. In 2015 park was 70% complete.
• Acreage – 550 acres, 4.5 miles long
• www.hudsonriverpark.org
• Guide – Peter Kelly, Chief of Horticulture
Treasure Island Development Authority
Hudson River Park
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Treasure Island Development Authority
Governor’s Island
• Site• More than half of island is filled land
• Accessible only via ferry
• Vision Statement: New York City’s most sustainable campus for learning, research, art & culture with extraordinary open space
• Harbor School, public high school, located on Island, opened 2010
• 2018 “glamping” retreat opened on Island
• Timeline – In 2010 NYC entered into an agreement to take full control of the islands development from the state of New York through Trust for Governors Island. First phase of construction began 2012.
• Acreage – 172 acres; 87 acres open space
• www.govisland.com
• Guide – Michael Samulian, President & CEO
Treasure Island Development Authority
Governors Island
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Treasure Island Development Authority
High Line
• Site • Former New York Central Railroad spur on the west side of Manhattan
• Grassroots preservation & reuse proposal
• 90% of operating budget is privately funded
• Timeline – Railway was entirely abandoned in 1980. Repurposing as an urban park began in 2006, and the first phase opened 2009. Second phase opened 2011 and third/final phase in 2014
• Acreage – 6 acres, 1.45 miles long, 23 city block-long elevated railway
• www.thehighline.org
• Guide – Margaret Jankowsky, Director of Marketing & Business Development
Treasure Island Development Authority
High Line
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Treasure Island Development Authority
Hudson Yards
• Site
• Largest private real estate development in the US by square
footage of new construction
• Majority of site will be on a platform over the West Side Yard –
storage for the Long Island Rail Road
• Timeline – Construction began 2012, and 10 Hudson Yards
opened 2016. Estimated completion 2024.
• Acreage – 28 acres, 14 acres open space
www.hudsonyardsnewyork.com
• Guide – Jay Kriegel, Related Companies
Treasure Island Development Authority
Hudson Yards
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Treasure Island Development Authority
The Shed at Hudson Yards
• Site• Philanthropically endowed/sustained
• Performance/gallery/creative lab space
• Made to commission, produce, and present the full spectrum of performing arts, visual arts, and pop culture.
• A telescoping outer shell can deploy from above the base building over adjoining plaza to double the building’s footprint for large-scale performances, installations, and events.
• Timeline – Construction began 2015. Scheduled to open 2019.
• Acreage – 17,000 square feet. Six story building.
• www.theshed.org
• Guide – Laurie Beckelman, Deputy Director
Treasure Island Development Authority
The Shed at Hudson Yards
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Treasure Island Development Authority
Synopsis
• Open spaces operated or managed in partnership with
conservancy organizations
• Not operated/maintained through New York City Parks
• Central Park Conservancy initiated this model
• Should TIDA develop a conservancy relationship?
• What would the role of the conservancy be?
• Philanthropy
• Towards what ends?
• How to stimulate?
Treasure Island Development Authority
Synopsis
• Plan for activation
• Spaces
• Services
• Facilities
• Family friendly spaces – longer stays, larger spaces, playgrounds
• Operations & Maintenance
• Develop standards as basis for “ground-up” operating projections
• Integrating operations facilities in design
• Rules and regulations
• Adapting to climate change & sea level rise
Treasure Island Development Authority
Synopsis
• Plan & design for flexibility
• Respond to use patterns
• Spaces may be highly successful in ways not originally envisioned
• Experiment in programming
• Where a group advocates for programs/flexibility give
make them responsible
• Role of the City
• Programming
• Indemnity
• Security
Treasure Island Development Authority
Next Steps
• Regional engagement
• Explore conservancy and stewardship structures
• Maintenance Forces• Contracting out has been presumed
• Maintenance Spaces• Ensure that adequate maintenance and program support
spaces are provided
• Total space and geographic distribution
• Rules • Review what policies & rules should be in place before
opening parks
• Wide diversity of park spaces
• YBI Habitat Management Plan
• Legislative authority
Treasure Island Development Authority
Questions/Discussion