G’voort playing field is in play
BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELL-DOMENECH
A recently released summary of
community feedback on the design
of Gansevoort Peninsula
is inaccurate, according to Community
Board 2 residents.
The summary drafted by the Hudson
River Park Trust states that community
members want the 5.56-acre space to
sport a soccer fi eld, open green space
and some sort of water-related feature,
such as a beach or intertidal habitat.
The peninsula is a remnant of when
Manhattan’s Lower West Side extended
out to a 13th Ave. It is located between
Gansevoort and Little W. 12th Sts.,
across from the Whitney Museum of
American Art.
Since early March, the Trust and its
contracted designers, James Corner
Field Operations, have held a presentation,
a Q&A session and two small
group-planning events to solicit community
input, with the most recent of
these on March 26.
“Most of the small working groups
— even those dominated by people
with strong preferences for particular
program elements — endeavored to create
balanced ‘plans’ for Gansevoort,”
the Trust’s summary says regarding the
March 26 event.
“In the end, all groups had some form
of beach and a variety of fi eld sizes to
accommodate passive recreation and
other desired programs.
“For a huge constituency, the size
of the site supports the strong request
for large sports fi elds. The Trust and
design team have been made aware of
the community petition signed by more
than 2,000 individuals requesting a fi eld
Brainstorming park ideas for Gansevoort Peninsula at the workshop
was a handful.
measuring 75 x 120 yards (225 x 360
feet) as the highest priority for the site.”
The majority of attendees at last week’s
C.B. 2 Parks and Waterfront Committee
meeting said that, with a general lack
of soccer fi elds in the borough, plus the
future of Pier 40 unclear, a sports fi eld
is desperately needed. Most were willing
to compromise “balance” in order to
secure a full-sized soccer fi eld.
At the March 26 planning event,
which ran three hours, the Trust set
up tables inside the new 75 Morton St.
middle school, and community members
broke into small groups. They
placed paper cutouts of a soccer fi eld,
trees and fences, among other things,
on cardboard maps of the peninsula.
Participants said that access to the water
was important, as well as green space.
PHOTO BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELL-DOMENECH
But there was a strong sentiment among
those present for the playing fi eld, which
could accommodate a range of sports,
including soccer and baseball. Before
the event began, representatives from
the Downtown Soccer League spoke
about the need for a fi eld. Every table of
participants made sure to place a soccer
fi eld on their map.
According to Rich Caccappolo,
chairperson of the C.B. 2 Parks and
Waterfront Committee, the committee
was given the impression that a Trust
representative would formally present
the summary’s fi ndings at last week’s
meeting. Instead, a Trust representative
— its senior vice president of design and
construction — listened to community
members speak about the summary and
answered a few questions at the end.
The summary and the absence of a
formal presentation by a representative
left many community members skeptical
of the Trust’s intentions on Gansevoort.
Several attendees were unaware that a
Trust representative was present at the
meeting. Although the Trust V.P. was
there and took questions, by all accounts
he did not do a good job of identifying
himself to the meeting.
Daniel Miller, a member of the C.B.
2 committee, said he did not become
aware until afterward that a Trust offi
cial had actually been there. Miller
added he would have liked to have seen
more representation of the Trust’s senior
leadership at the meeting — such
as Madelyn Wils, the Trust’s president,
and/or Noreen Doyle, its senior vice
president — as well as someone from
James Corner, the chosen designers for
the project.
“We are looking for a design that
makes more for the local community
and less a destination,” Caccappolo said.
He added that the a park on Gansevoort
should be a space to get away from the
madness of nearby attractions like the
High Line.
The Parks and Waterfront Committee
is currently drafting a resolution on the
status of community desires for Gansevoort
Peninsula.
“We appreciate all the input we’ve
received for the Gansevoort Peninsula
project thus far,” the Trust spokesperson
said. “These meetings are designed
to provide a forum for community
members and general public to share
thoughts and ideas for the project, and
we encourage everyone to participate.
We are now working with our designers
and engineers on a feasible concept
design.”
Admin changes at Governors Island Trust
BY GABE HERMAN
There are shake-ups underway at
some of the top Governors Island
leadership positions.
Michael Samuelian, who has been
president and C.E.O. of the Trust for
Governors Island since being appointed
in September 2016 by Mayor de Blasio,
will step down in early June.
The chairperson of the Trust’s board,
Carl Weisbrod, will also reportedly step
down, staying on the board but being
replaced as chairperson by Alicia Glen,
who recently left a position as deputy
mayor in the de Blasio administration.
Although no offi cial plans for a new
president have been announced, Glen
reportedly pushed out Samuelian from
his leadership position at the Trust and
plans to oversee development plans for
the island, according to Politico.
Glen has been a board member at
the Trust for Governors Island since
2014, and Weisbrod reportedly told her
he was too busy to continue as chairperson,
a position that controls staffi ng
positions at the Trust.
There have been delays in a city plan
to redevelop about 4.5 million square
feet for mixed-use development on the
southern part of the island. Although
the mayor planned to have the island
go through the necessary rezoning process
in 2018, that has not yet gotten
underway.
Other new programs recently have
been introduced at Governors Island,
including a new arts center set to open
this September. This year there will
also be expanded ferry service, hours
and programs as part of the island’s
public season from May 1 to Oct. 31.
“As of June 7, I am stepping down as
president and C.E.O. of the Trust for
Governors Island,” Samuelian said in
a statement sent to this paper. “I am
incredibly proud of all that we have accomplished,
from extending public access
and attracting new environmental
and cultural partners, to the construction
of our fi rst new ferry and the creation
of a responsible redevelopment
strategy. Governors Island today is in
a far stronger position than when we
started nearly three years ago and is
poised for a great future.
“I’m confi dent that Governors Island
will be in good hands with new leadership,”
he continued, “and look forward
to visiting and watching this wonderful
place become an even more special part
of New York.”
Samuelian is an architect who was
vice president at Related Companies
from 2005 to 2016 and helped oversee
that company’s design of the new Hudson
Yards megadevelopment project.
He is also an adjunct assistant professor
at The Cooper Union.
Weisbrod, in a statement to this paper
about Samuelian, said, “It has been
an honor to work closely with Michael
over the past three years. Under his
leadership, the Island has seen a record
number of visitors, expanded its season,
attracted new uses, particularly cultural
uses, and has established a foundation
for sensitive redevelopment. Governors
Island is now a beloved, magnetic destination
for New Yorkers and visitors
alike.”
Mayor de Blasio said of Samuelian,
“I thank Michael for his service to the
City and helping open up Governors
Island to more New Yorkers than ever
before.”
Schneps Media DEX May 16 - May 29, 2019 3