1. Deliver public parks and programs for people to enjoy- A record 55,000 people - double from last year - visited the Island during the summer of 2007 for concerts and festivals, historic tours, boat trips, and ball games.
- Green space and recreational fields are desperately needed in lower Manhattan. Battery Park City Parks had to turn away a third of people seeking playing fields each season.
- Car-free Governors Island is the perfect destination for families looking for a safe haven for urban bicycling and blading.
2. Increase the marketability of the Island and its historic buildings
- Parks and public space will provide the identity and clarity of purpose that investors are looking for. Parkland is a key land use driver for redevelopment of the Island, creating the campus-like environment critical for attracting schools, conference centers, and hotels - tenants that will rehabilitate the Island's historic buildings and pay for their upkeep.
- Parks will increase the value of these public buildings an estimated 10 - 20% by providing wonderful views and marketable frontages.
- As with Battery Park City, parks and public spaces are the bones around which development will proceed over time, allowing for unpredictable market requirements and economic cycles.
- An Island park will help our tourism industry by establishing an exciting new destination for visitors, helping achieve the City's goal of attracting 50 million visitors by 2015. It will also help keep local dollars local, by capturing resident spending in an in-town get away.
- An Island park can provide the open space critical for special events center sought by lower Manhattan businesses