Randalls Island Water Park

[BigMac]

Deseret News
May 14, 2006

Water park to make splash in Big Apple

Massive project on Randalls Island is 7 years in the making

By Larry McShane
Associated Press


Artist's rendering shows Randalls Island, facing south, with 26-acre water park in the island's northwest corner, bottom right. Not everyone is happy to see more of the city's open space disappear.

NEW YORK — A visit to the Big Apple always promised a great adventure: Times Square, Coney Island, the Empire State Building. There was never a need for some trumped-up theme park in the land of Trump himself.

Until now.

In the latest bit of suburban creep into the nation's largest city, a family-themed water park is due before summer 2007 on a piece of Randalls Island parkland at the juncture of the East and Harlem Rivers, under the vast Triborough Bridge. The site is easily reachable by car, bus, bicycle or footbridge from Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx.

The city hopes to lure more than 1.3 million visitors a year to the $168 million attraction that will boast water slides rising 80 feet into the skyline.

So are the five boroughs going Six Flags? A little bit, yes. And not everybody is pleased.

"The citizens of New York like the Brooklyn Bridge," said Billy Tallen, a performance artist who's waged a long (and losing) battle against New York's commercialization. "The consumers prefer the water parks. We insist on being citizens, not consumers."

The water park is just the latest indignity for Tallen and others who fondly recall the corner tavern, the mom-and-pop drug store, the local coffee shop. These days, it's more likely a Starbucks (159 locations in the city) or a TGIFriday's (a dozen spots, including one on 42nd Street near the Red Lobster). Last year, a 7-Eleven opened on Park Avenue South at 23rd Street — the first new Manhattan franchise for the 24-hour stores since 1982.

"And Coney Island is going to be turned into another suburban development," said Tallen, fearful of an $83 million redevelopment plan announced last year for the colorful Brooklyn beachfront.

The taming of Times Square is a fait accompli, with adult entertainment emporiums like Peepland and Show World giving way to kid-friendly fare and a comedy club. And "The Shops at Columbus Circle" is a highfalutin name for a (gasp!) mall, with outlets for J. Crew and Sephora.

But city officials and developers portrayed the 26-acre water park — an unlikely attraction in an unlikely location — as more boon than bane for both the citizens of New York and visitors. Day-trippers from outlying suburbs and tourists from elsewhere are part of the park's target audience, along with the natives.

"This is good news," said Parks Commissioner Adrian Benape, one of the park's boosters. "It has a potential to be a huge draw. We hope to be building a park for the 21st century on Randalls Island."

The water park, designed by the New York state-based Aquatic Development Group, is a virtual done deal. The city's Franchise and Concession Review Committee voted on April 11 to allow the proposed 35-year lease with Aquatic Development Group.

And so New Yorkers will soon have access to an amenity previously found only in locations like Scotrun, Pa., or Mason, Ill., or Grapevine, Texas.

The New York attraction will include wave pools, action rivers and wading pools, and plenty of slides. A seven-acre indoor beach will give New Yorkers a year-round attraction; Coney Island, in contrast, is strictly seasonal (except to those twisted Polar Bear Club swimmers who take an annual winter dip in the Atlantic).

The new construction won't affect any of the other events on the island, including concerts and various track meets in the Icahn Stadium.

According to David Sangree, a water park consultant and president of Hotel & Leisure Advisors, the vast majority of the nation's 71 water parks are located far from urban centers.

Wisconsin, with 30, is the state with the most water parks.

The New York facility would operate under unique circumstances. The new breed of water parks — like the Great Wolf Lodge that opened recently in Pennsylvania and a Six Flags indoor water park that opened in upstate New York — are typically attached to hotels, with admission reserved for overnight guests only. The New York operation, since it's on city parkland, will work with day passes and without a hotel.

It took seven years for the city to take the plunge on the water park. The plan was proposed in 1999 by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani as a 12-acre facility. Seven years later, under the Bloomberg administration, the light at the end of the water funnels is here.

Henry Stern, who spent two decades as parks commissioner, was less surprised by word of the burgeoning water park than most New Yorkers. He sorted through various proposals for Randalls Island, including a ski jump, while in office.

"Tennis courts, stadium, concert hall, golf course — people see land, and they want to build," Stern says. "They salivate."

Since its purchase from the local American Indians in 1637, Randalls Island served as a burial ground for the indigent, a home for juvenile delinquents, an asylum for alcoholics and a rest home for Civil War veterans. After the island was designated a city park in 1933, its high points came as a sports and concert venue.

In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt attended the opening ceremonies for a stadium on the island. The Olympic trials were held as the first event, with Jesse Owens warming up for the Berlin Games with victories in the 100 meters and the long jump.

Pele played there as a member of the New York Cosmos in the 1970s. The Dave Matthews Band is one of the musical headliners who played there in recent years. And by next summer, several hundred thousands people will splash and slide their way around Randalls.

As for Stern, he offered another suggestion.

"I think it would be no problem if it was left alone," he said. "It's doesn't have to be a happening. It's an open space, an island in the heart of the city."

© 2006 Deseret News Publishing Company

[LeCom]

Great news. I'm all for it. Those who are crying about it need to shut the hell up. There's still plenty open space on the island. Besides, there is no better place in the city to put a water park - very centrally located between boros in a horribly underdeveloped area. It would be great if an amusement park opened nearby, and then the north part of the island would become New York's premier amusement area. Add some more areas and a "main street" in the middle with shopping and all that stuff, and you got a new focal point in the city. It's not like it's a pristine untouched natural park anyway, it's criss-crossed by a cluster**** of bridges already.

[antinimby]

^ Agreed.
That Billy Tallen idiot is a total moron. That place is so underutilized and is probably used by only a handful of people at any given time. In fact, there's no reason for me to go there the way it is right now, but with the new added attractions, many more people including myself, might just schlepp up there sometime.

[TranspoMan]

I guess Billy Tallen never went to Randall's Island via the M35 bus (the one that serves to the psychiatric center and the homeless shelter). I've never been on a bus where all of the windows were left open in the middle of the winter to provide fresh air. The water park would add much-needed visitors to the island (and hopefully alternative transportation services).

[Scruffy88]

Im for this waterpark. I think it should be more than a waterpark and take up more of the island, but at the same point, i went by there a few weeks ago, the spot where this is to take place is all baseball fields and at 8pm on a thursday all of them had games going. About 4-5. So maybe its not as under used as most people think

[pianoman11686]

Randall’s Island water park washed up?

City bonds won’t be used to fund project; developer has no other cash on tap

by patrick arden / metro new york

OCT 20, 2006

MANHATTAN The proposed water park at Randall’s Island could be in jeopardy, with the sinking of a plan to pay for the controversial attraction.

The city’s Industrial Development Agency was set to hold a public hearing on Nov. 9 to discuss the plan to issue $215 million in taxable bonds for the project — almost $50 million more than stated just six months ago.

But now, instead of securing funds through the IDA, the upstate Aquatic Development Group is scrambling to find investors.

“We’re no longer getting bonds from the IDA,” said the firm’s attorney Ralph Bandel. “We’re going privately.”

Aquatic Development hopes to get the cash by borrowing and offering equity to investors, Bandel explained, but no arrangements have been finalized yet. “We’re hoping to close by the end of the year,” he said. “This is something that came up recently after it was put on the [IDA’s] agenda.”

Abandoning the bonds was apparently news to the city IDA.

“They had not completed their paperwork with us,” noted spokesperson Janel Patterson. “They have to provide us evidence of ability [to repay the bonds], and there’s also due diligence we do that we had not completed.”

City Comptroller William Thompson was opposed to the park when it came before the city’s franchise review commission earlier this year.

He wanted the project reopened for bids, since it had doubled in size and quadrupled in cost after the 35-year concession was awarded in 2000. A “seriously flawed process,” he charged, had led to a sole-source bid for a large private project on public land.

When Aquatic Development won the contract under the Giuliani administration, one of the firm’s principal investors was Albany businessman Jerry Abbruzzese. In the mid-’90s Abbruzzese had rescued the company from bankruptcy. Thompson said the Chapter 11 declaration raised questions about the viability of the deal.

Aquatic Development’s president, Herb Ellis, is a partner in another business venture called Steuben Place Partners, which couldn’t repay a $1.5 million loan to the Albany IDA.

“The IDA had borrowed the money from the federal government, and then lent it to Steuben,” said Jeff Sullivan, a spokesman for the Albany Local Development Corp. “The IDA had to cover the obligation on the loan from the feds, but Steuben is still liable.”

Asked whether Ellis’s Albany problems came up in talks with the city IDA, Bandel responded, “I really don’t recall.”

‘Park use’?

Critics believe the parkland should have been alienated by the state before allowing a private attraction to be built. But the Parks Dept. claims the plan serves a “park use,” and “no alienation is required,” said spokesman Warner Johnston. “This contract is terminable at will by us.”

The ability to revoke the concession at will has been determined by state courts to be necessary to avoid alienating parkland. But that same condition could make it harder for a concessionaire to borrow money, said attorney John Siegal, who represented a developer who tried to bid for the Randall’s Island project in 1999.

© 2006 Metro. All Rights Reserved.

[antinimby]

No surprise there.

Now you know why I am always skeptical about any grand projects we hear about.

Believe it only when you see it.

[urbanaturalist]

Wonder if the city hopes to use this to siphon off the low income factor from the beaches in summer to spur big beachfront development.

Wow, could you get anymore more back handedly racist than that.

[lofter1]

If you knew BrooklynRider you'd see that he meant his comment as a slam potentially racist real estate / development policies ...

[NIMBYkiller]

Sorry to see the project going down like this. Hopefully it'll return. I think Northern Randalls Island is prime for amusement park type development. Use the Triborough as a good way to seperate the area into 3 sections.

1. Water park in the NW corner
2. Sports arena and Concerts in the Southwest corner. I think this would be the perfect location for the Jets. Perhaps use the Jets stadium for the concerts as well. Concerts and other shows during the off season, games during the football season. There's a driving range there already, right? If it can be done, maybe squeeze in a soccer field as well between the two or along the water
3. On the NE corner would remain the small ball fields, as well as a new minor league stadium. Each boro should have a minor league team(with Staten Island obviously being the worst, and Queens second worst, hehe). The ball fields would have to be shifted, probably further south, closer to the FDNY facility.

Parking garages between the triboro and the hell gate tracks. Ground level parking by the Jets stadium and the driving range. More parking garages on the extreme north of the island east of the triboro. The same parking lots can easily be used for all the events. The water park, driving range, concerts, and minor league baseball open during the warmer monthes. Then, use the same parking lots during the football season for game days. The ground level parking lot will allow for tailgating. Obviously, a shuttle bus looping around, connecting all the parking lots, would be needed. It'd also connect to the ferry(I personally think there should be two terminals, one on each side of the island).

The Saltwater marsh would remain, which is great b/c it'll serve as a barrier between the psych hospital and the amusement area. Also, the walkway around the island would be nice

The roller coasters and whatever other amusements can be at Coney Island. This way, they aren't really competing with each directly since it's technically not the same. A ferry would connect the two places.

Also, I'd be strongly against any residential development on the island, I.E, condos. I think the south part of the island works great as a psych hospital and whatever else.

BTW, I would NOT count on a subway on the island....ever

[brianac]

It appears there was a lot of truth in previous posts.


New York Times.

By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS
Published: September 18, 2007
The developer of a $168 million water park planned for Randalls Island has failed to meet the city’s deadline for arranging financing, Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr. said yesterday. In a letter to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, he said that the developer, Randalls Island Aquatic Leisure L.L.C., had not started construction even though work was supposed to have started seven months ago. The company could not be reached for comment last night. Warner Johnston, a spokesman for the Department of Parks and Recreation, said that the city had extended the financing deadline to tomorrow. “In the event that the concessionaire is unable to fulfill its financial commitments under the agreement, the city will take appropriate steps to ensure that development of this major community improvement continues,” Mr. Johnston said in a statement.

http://www.risf.org/projects_waterpark2.html

[brianac]

20 New Courts and a Stadium Planned on Randalls Island

By JOSHUA ROBINSON
Published: April 2, 2008

Besides the No. 7 train, another way to get directly to a state-of-the-art tennis complex in New York is to practice, practice, practice. While not quite matching the United States Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens, a company that operates sports facilities is hoping to change that.On Thursday, Sportime, in collaboration with the Randalls Island Sports Foundation, will break ground on a $13 million tennis complex on Randalls Island in an effort to boost participation in a city where the sport has lagged in recent years.

“Back in the 1970s, when I was chasing tennis balls for tips, there were probably 100 to 150 more tennis courts in Manhattan than there are today,” said Claude Okin, Sportime’s managing partner. “And then over time, the demands for the square footage pushed them out. Now there’s just a smattering of year-round courts in Manhattan.”

The Randalls Island complex will be next to the existing tennis center and will feature 20 new courts — 10 hard-surface courts and 10 clay courts — and a 4,000-seat stadium, according to Okin.

Sportime has managed the current facility for the last two years, although it needed renovation and featured none of the amenities planned for the new complex: a training and fitness center, a pro shop, a cafe and classrooms.

Sportime hopes to attract young players.

The project is the latest in a wave of improvements on Randalls Island. Icahn Stadium, a track and field facility, opened in 2005, and 60 athletic fields are under development.

Rich Davis, chairman of the foundation’s board of trustees, said the new facility would provide opportunities for children in the Bronx and East Harlem, something that Patrick McEnroe said was “certainly needed in the metropolitan area.”

“It’ll be great for kids who want to play just to have something positive to do, as far as exercise and staying in shape,” said McEnroe, captain of the United States Davis Cup team. “But also kids who are looking to be more serious about playing the game. And the end goal would be to find a couple of them who could go on and make it in the pros.”

McEnroe and his brother, John, are active in World Team Tennis. Beginning in July 2009, the Randalls Island complex’s 4,000-seat stadium will be the new home for the league’s New York Sportimes.

“I think it’ll benefit a lot of tennis fanatics in New York,” Patrick McEnroe said. “And maybe it’ll create a few more, too.”

Copyright 2008 The New York Times.