NEW YORK | (Staten Island) New York Wheel | 625 FT

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Duck From NY

Staten Island has some rather tall hills, the tallest being only 200 feet shorter than the wheel. As the passengers go further up, they'll be curious to see what pops up South over Todt Hill. It will be interesting for people from afar to get an idea of the area surrounding the urban core of our "global capital". I imagine if I were born elsewhere, I'd be pleasantly surprised to see steep tree-lined streets with old Victorian homes so close to the urban core.

A lot of people don't know that the highest point in New York City (on the ground) is in Staten Island. That topographical makeup will also be on display.



Some quotes from a lengthy article...
http://observer.com/2012/10/big-rich...-ferris-wheel/

The Ups and Downs of Rich Marin, the Ex-Banker Building the World’s Biggest Ferris Wheel
On Big Rich's Wild Ride, what comes around goes around









By Matt Chaban 10/02/12

Rich Marin is big. For more than three decades, he dominated Wall Street, creating some of the industry’s most exotic investments, making billions for his clients, and millions for himself. One of his minions blew a hole in the side of Bankers Trust, a firm Mr. Marin helped transform into a derivatives powerhouse, and still he held on for the ride, becoming the youngest managing director ever at the bank. It all came crashing down five years ago, when the hedge funds he oversaw at Bear Stearns imploded. The rest of the world followed within the year. But there was Mr. Marin, standing amid the wreckage, helping rescue an overzealous Israeli diamond magnate who had plowed $3 billion into prime U.S. real estate just as the frothing market froze over. He rescued the firm, only to be unceremoniously fired two years to the day after he joined.

Now Rich Marin wants to build the world’s largest ferris wheel—in Staten Island, naturally—and the mayor just gave him his blessing. Did we mention he is big? At the announcement of the project last Thursday, Mr. Marin absolutely dwarfed Mayor Bloomberg and Senator Chuck Schumer, along with the other dignitaries gathered at the ferry terminal. But despite his imposing size—he stands 6-foot-5 and is built like an offensive lineman—Mr. Marin is probably one of the gentlest people on the Street. His plan, then, to build a 625-foot ferris wheel next to the Staten Island Ferry is not some Spruce Goose, Master of the Universe complex acting itself out in New York Harbor. It’s just business. He got a call, many calls, actually, within days of again being fired, on December 10, 2010, from Africa Israel USA, the real estate firm he had helped rescue after the bubble burst. One was from a small investment outfit that had tried repeatedly to get a giant observation wheel built in New York, most recently on Governors Island or in the Seaport. “They wanted someone with experience, and I had been a CEO in numerous capacities, I knew real estate, I knew finance, they thought I could get the job done,” Mr. Marin said. And so he has. In less than two years, Mr. Marin lined up financial backers to realize the $250 million project while convincing the city to embrace the idea—not much of a challenge, really, given the Bloomberg administration’s flamboyant streak, along with its anxious rivalry with London, where the first modern observation wheel opened in 1999. If it opens on New Year’s Eve 2015, as is currently the plan, the New York Wheel could help cement tourism downtown and usher in a new era for sleepy Staten Island.

.........Mr. Marin, who was wearing a navy blazer, light blue jeans and brown leather loafers, explained that the Statue of Liberty alone draws some 4 million tourists a year while another 2 million ride the Staten Island Ferry. The city has always struggled with how it might get tourists, and their wallets, off the free boat ride and beyond the St. George Terminal. The Staten Island Yankees have a stadium here, but aside from a few historic buildings, the borough’s 9/11 memorial and a nice view of Manhattan, that’s about it. Mr. Marin believes the appeal of his wheel will be impossible to resist, even at $20 a pop. “Do you have kids?” he asked (not yet, but in three years, who knows?). “So you’re on the ferry, and the wheel is getting bigger and bigger. Your 5-year-old, he’s barely tall enough to reach past the railing, but he sure can see this wheel, it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. He starts asking, he’s begging, ‘Can we go? Can we go? I wanna go on the ferris wheel!’ I think daddy is going to have a harder and harder time not going on that wheel.” (On second thought, why rush parenthood?)

And if the wheel isn’t enough of an attraction, the Bloomberg administration has fallen back on that most reliable of tourist activities: shopping. The city encouraged the New York Wheel team to partner with BFC Partners, a developer that has made a habit of getting in on the ground floor of most of the city’s development waves of the past few decades: the East Village, East Harlem, Williamsburg, Downtown Brooklyn. Now, the firm has plans to bring New York City its very own outlet mall.

The wheel is being designed by Starneth, a boutique Danish firm responsible for the London Eye, as well as the Singapore Flyer and one of two competing wheels in Vegas. But Mr. Marin said the Staten Island wheel is just the beginning—a flashy beacon meant to draw people to his real attraction, a sustainability museum, located in an 11,000-square-foot lot on his half of the 14-acre site. Indeed, Mr. Marin conceives of the entire project as a giant lesson in building a cleaner planet. And not just through green roofs and solar arrays. In summer, the observationpods—which operate on proprietary gyroscopes to remain level—will collect condensation as they make their 38-minute circuit, depositing two gallons each into the grey water system that runs the site’s toilets.

“This will be a world-class exhibition,” Mr. Marin said intently. “This is more than just the wheel. I think of this as a world heritage site in the making.”

[NYguy]

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf...ys_staten.html

New York Wheel CEO says Staten Island neighborhood will be riding high




Parking lots at the St. George Ferry Terminal are full even on the Columbus Day holiday.
New York Wheel CEO Richard Marin says his firm will replace and enhance parking at the site.


October 09, 2012
By Jillian Jorgensen

From providing enough parking to providing new jobs to Staten Islanders, New York Wheel CEO Richard Marin said it's in his company's best interests to make improvements to the community surrounding his proposed giant observation wheel. "It's great business for us -- I want to improve that area all around our site, not just within the boundaries of our site," Marin said in a telephone interview.

Like many a contentious Staten Island project or plan, parking and traffic are at the forefront of many of the objections or concerns about the New York Wheel and the retail outlet mall, Hudson Commons, proposed for a parcel closer to the Staten Island Ferry. Marin emphasized that while the two projects are side by side -- and share consultants on issues they'll face jointly, like traffic and the waterfront -- they are funded separately, and their parking requirements will be separate, too. On his side of the equation, Marin said, there will be a 950-space parking garage with a green roof. The retail mall will feature a second, separate parking garage, and both will welcome commuters. Marin said they have a mandate from the city Economic Development Corporation to replace all extant parking at the site -- and on top of that, they will need to satisfy the parking needs generated by the observation wheel. "In doing that, we have assessed our ridership," he said. There are two similarly sized projects to go by -- the London Eye and the Singapore Flyer. "Neither of those two has parking," he said.

Of course, Staten Island doesn't have the same level of mass transit as London or Singapore. But Marin believes the 950 spaces are plenty for the 4 million to 4.5 million riders they hope to generate yearly, considering they believe most will arrive by boat. Two million tourists already ride the ferry annually. "We expect to capture a lot of those people, and we expect a lot more people that will be attracted to come on the ferry," he said.

The city attracts about 50 to 55 million tourists each year, Marin said. Of those, 10 million are already visiting downtown Manhattan -- just a stone's throw away. The number of people visiting downtown will grow, thanks to the development of the World Trade Center site -- "and because of the Wheel," Marin said. They expect that 85 to 90 percent of their ridership will come by boat, Marin said -- and not just on the Staten Island Ferry. "We're applying to put in a dock for water taxis," Marin said. That would pave the way for 200-person boats coming from the Upper East and Upper West Sides, he said, tapping into the 40 million tourists who don't venture downtown. "We expect that by sea we will get the majority of our ridership," he said. "What that means, that's important to Staten Island, is that our venue is not expected to generate all that many cars." But they will be ready for them, and they will offer bus parking for tourists coming from New Jersey, Long Island and elsewhere in the mid-Atlantic region.

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf...e_saryian.html

Staten Island candidate Saryian sees casino as part of New York Wheel plan

October 08, 2012
By Tom Wrobleski

Republican North Shore Assembly candidate Paul Saryian has the perfect Staten Island location for a casino: At the site of the proposed New York Wheel and Harbor Commons outlet shopping complex. "A casino inside a posh hotel would make a great addition alongside the New York Wheel and the Harbor Commons," Saryian said.

The $550 million Wheel entertainment and retail complex is also set to include a hotel. Saryian said that he would vote in favor of casino gambling legislation if elected to the Assembly. He said the Island would be a "key location" for a casino "because it is the southern-most portion of New York state and would draw patrons who live in counties of New Jersey that are closer to Staten Island than Atlantic City."

Others have mentioned the former NASCAR site in Bloomfield as a potential site for an Island casino.

[pico44]

I think it's great for staten island. Thank goodness they don't have space for it in the city. Is there a bigger eyesore in any great city than the London Eye?

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by pico44

Is there a bigger eyesore in any great city than the London Eye?

I don't know about London, but I can think of some bigger eyesores in Manhattan. I think its best away from Manhattan though. It will truly be a destination in its own right, similar to the way the Statue of Liberty is out in the harbor.

[NYguy]

http://www.nj.com/middlesex/index.ss...president.html

Perth Amboy leaders concerned, hopeful about proposed Staten Island Ferris Wheel

October 11, 2012
By Jana Siciliano

Perth Amboy leaders are concerned that the world’s largest ferris wheel, the newest proposed development on Staten Island, will have a huge and possibly negative impact on the township’s traffic situation. Kenneth Balut, the town Council President, called the prospects of increased heavy traffic on Route 35 in and out of Perth Amboy a probable “nightmare.”

“Traffic is going to be a huge issue. Our local Homeland Security people should have a plan to redirect traffic." Balut pointed out that a variety of major roadways converge in that area, including State Road 287, as well as Routes 1 and 9, which are overseen by Edison and Woodbridge townships. Route 35, however, is all Perth Amboy’s responsibility. “Right now there is no way to redirect congested traffic out of town.” He cited the summer’s severe traffic backups where these roads meet as an example of what would happen year round without creating new patterns through Perth Amboy.

Most of the area affected down at the waterside is zoned industrial, but Balut said there was room in the plans for this new development to have positive effect if someone put in a business that could “operate like a rest stop,” a place for rest rooms and food vendors for cars traveling to and from the ferris wheel site. "The town is open and we're trying to make things better for everybody," Balut said. “Our development commission will probably look for a big chain to come into the area. That would create a good tax revenue and come with a full traffic pattern study.”

Mayor Wilda Diaz of Perth Amboy agrees that this could be an opportunity to improve the economic stakes in the township. “It’ll be a regional asset—highlighting both New York and New Jersey from the wheel’s view. Perth Amboy’s waterfront was voted a Great Public Place in New Jersey by the American Planners Association for 2012. This tourist attraction would give the opportunity to showcase this area as well,” she said in a statement Tuesday.

[Duck From NY]

Originally Posted by NYguy

Staten Island candidate Saryian sees casino as part of New York Wheel plan

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Not sure how I feel about this idea. I'm hoping this doesn't become an example of "too many chefs", but this guy hasn't even been elected, so maybe it's nothing.

Originally Posted by pico44

I think it's great for staten island. Thank goodness they don't have space for it in the city. Is there a bigger eyesore in any great city than the London Eye?

-
Most people seem to be very fond of the London Eye. It's been quite successful.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Duck From NY

-
Not sure how I feel about this idea. I'm hoping this doesn't become an example of "too many chefs", but this guy hasn't even been elected, so maybe it's nothing.

It did cross my mind once or twice, because there are other areas nearby that the City wants developed. A casino would be a major element to throw in, and would change the dynamics of any development. I'm not sold on the idea, but it wouldn't shock me if it was at least discussed.

[Dac150]

I am not too fond of a casino as I feel it would 'cheapen' the attraction. I also think they'd be pressing their luck by trying for one.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Dac150

I also think they'd be pressing their luck by trying for one.

It's really the State pushing for the casinos. Everyone knows they would have to go somewhere, so politicians who feel that casinos could bring a boost to their local areas will boost up support for one, as they will be extremly limited in the state. There's just too much that has to be considered to throw one in with this development now.

[NYguy]

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf...mall_visi.html

Staten Island outlet mall visionaries vow to tackle traffic








By Jillian Jorgensen
October 14, 2012

With a project as ambitious as the world's largest observation wheel planned next door, it's easy for the outlet mall slated for the other waterfront parcel near the Staten Island Ferry to be overshadowed -- literally. But BFC Partners' plans for Harbor Commons amount to a $230 million investment that they hope will appeal to Islanders and tourists alike. And, they are shaping a plan they say will respond to concerns about traffic, parking and inadequate infrastructure. "There's been this talk about the revitalization of the Bay Street corridor for years and years and years," said Joe Ferrara, one of the principals in BFC. And Harbor Commons fits into that vision, Ferrara said.

Their planned 350,000-square-foot retail complex -- slated to include 100 designer outlet retailers, gourmet dining and a variety of restaurants and cafes, as well as a 200-room hotel -- would be the first of its kind in New York City, which doesn't offer outlet shopping. The complex was designed by SHoP Architects, the firm behind the newly opened Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Many tourists with deep pockets and a desire for designer clothes lug empty suitcases on a 90-minute bus ride to Woodbury Commons in Central Valley, N.Y. -- which sees 12.5 million visitors annually, Ferrara said -- to get in their discount shopping fix. But at Harbor Commons, those tourists would be able to take the famed Staten Island Ferry for free, shop, get a meal and a drink with a skyline view, and ride the nearby proposed New York Wheel.

But it's not just a tourist market they're hoping to tap into, Ferrara said. Plenty of Islanders travel long distances to hit the outlets, too. "I can vouch for my wife, who leaves Staten Island, who drives 90 minutes to go to our competition," Ferrara said. And it won't only attract Islanders interested in nice duds at a reasonable price. The development will offer a 50,000-square-foot "dining deck," with restaurants that spill out onto an outdoor promenade overlooking the harbor, Ferrara said. "It makes for a pretty cool place just to be, just to hang out and have dinner," he said. "We've had local interest, too, from local restaurateurs -- which is something that we definitely want to encompass into this environment."

The project also calls for a 200-room, 12-story hotel, which Ferrara said will fill a need on the North Shore. "If anybody wants to have guests come and visit, they have to stay mid-Island, somewhere it isn't too convenient to get back into New York City," he observed. Ferrara said there also are plenty of travelers priced out of Manhattan hotel rooms who will stay on Staten Island if there's easy access to Manhattan by ferry, not to mention the visiting teams playing the nearby Staten Island Yankees.

"We're assuming that the Staten Island population, especially the South Shore, will be driving over," Ferrara said. "So we're taking that into consideration when we're doing all of our analysis." Capoccia said they have to replace the existing 786 parking spaces on the parcel there for commuters, and would add about 500 more. Those will be self-parking spots, he said. The Wheel will have its own 950-spot parking garage. "In the event that the demand exceeds that, we'll be able to convert to valet to accommodate more cars," he said.

Public documents...
http://www.nycedc.com/sites/default/...Work_FINAL.pdf

[Dac150]

Glad that the parking / congestion component is being addressed so soon. Looks like a nice layout and eventually will be worth the ferry ride to experience.

[NYguy]

I like how they address the difference in grade. These developments need to feel they are part of the surrounding area, and not offset.

[Duck From NY]

Surprisingly there is rarely traffic problems in St.George, even during rush hour. It can get a little blocked up by Stuyvesant, Hyatt, and St.Marks, but Bay Street and Richmond Terrace (which are basically the same street) are never that bad. Based on that, traffic might not be much of an issue, although I don't know enough about traffic patterns to know what effect this will have in other areas. Forest Ave, Victory Blvd, and Clove Rd are hellish during Rush Hour, and it gets worse every year.

There have been significant complaints from Staten Islanders about the effect this project (and others in places like Stapleton) will have on real estate. I'm going to make a quick color-coded map to show why I think the effect will be positive. I'll try and post it in the coming days.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Duck From NY

Surprisingly there is rarely traffic problems in St.George, even during rush hour. It can get a little blocked up by Stuyvesant, Hyatt, and St.Marks, but Bay Street and Richmond Terrace (which are basically the same street) are never that bad. Based on that, traffic might not be much of an issue, although I don't know enough about traffic patterns to know what effect this will have in other areas. Forest Ave, Victory Blvd, and Clove Rd are hellish during Rush Hour, and it gets worse every year.

Page 12 here gives some idea of circulation around the development. But traffic patterns will be part of the required environmental review.
http://www.nycedc.com/sites/default/.../EAS_FINAL.pdf

[NYguy]

Dan Beards

[NYguy]

More of the surrounding area from Dan Beards

[TowerVerre:)]

Nice .... I think it is a good plane to distribute the tourists in the boroughts and to make staten island more famouse. And i like the way they solve it....The Wheel ))

[NYguy]

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf...ake_on_th.html

New York Wheel plan grabs attention of Staten Island Ferry tourists


Like many other tourists, Nik, Sam and Chris Ball like the idea of the Staten Island Wheel.


By Staten Island Advance
October 28, 2012

Each day, some 65,000 people ride the Staten Island Ferry, many of them visitors taking advantage of the free ride and the unforgettable view of the Statue of Liberty. Nearly all of those tourists get off the ferry at the St. George terminal and get right back on the next ferry returning to Manhattan. Out of dozens of tourists riding the ferry recently interviewed by the Advance, only one group said they actually took the time to walk around Staten Island. That should change dramatically in 2014, when the city opens the New York Wheel, the largest Ferris wheel in the world. Despite the attention that the New York Wheel has drawn in local and even national media, only one of the tourists we talked to had heard of the planned Ferris wheel. "I read about it online when I was doing research for my trip to New York," said Nina Jiuraji, from London. 

When the ferry riders were told that the wheel would be twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty they were taking pictures of, they were stunned. Visitors from Britain were less than happy when they were told that the New York Wheel would be a much taller than the London Eye, a Ferris wheel that drew a great deal of attention during last summer's Olympics. The London Eye is 443 feet tall. The New York Wheel will be 625 feet high and will offer breathtaking views of the New York Harbor, Manhattan, Brooklyn and New Jersey. "It's gotta be the biggest. This is New York," said Kathryn McCarthy, 16, from Wiltshire, England, who was here on a visit with her father, Robert, during the semester break at her school. They were certain that when they return to New York, they will make a point of riding the New York Wheel.

Out of all of the people we talked to, they were the only ones who ventured out of the ferry terminal that morning to explore the Island. But every one we spoke with, except for one man, said they would be excited to see and ride the ferry and shop at the outlet stores. Patricia and Fernando Lopes, on a one-week visit to the city from their home in Argentina, were surprised to hear about the Ferris wheel. "Is it like the one in London?" Fernando asked. They, too, were certain that they would like someday to ride the ferry to take a spin on the Wheel. Eve Wenzel, from Germany, who came to the states earlier as an exchange student, was more pragmatic. Although she had not heard of the New York Wheel, her first response was: "How much will it cost? I assume it will be quite expensive." Her boyfriend, Frank Rodden, said he probably wouldn't ride the Wheel. "I would," said Wenzel, "He'll probably come along to take pictures."

[Duck From NY]

St.George has become a place where young professionals and "hipsters" have found relatively low rents relative to it's distance from Manhattan. Some fellow Staten Islanders worry that the Wheel (+ hotels & outlets) will drive up the cost of rent in the immediate area. This is likely true, but I happen to think this is a good thing, and I'll try to explain why with this map I created:

Disclaimer: I'm partially colorblind, so bear with me on the colors. Also, I didn't take the time to make the boundaries exact by looking everywhere in the neighborhood with google street view.



-The Maroon spots near the ferry terminal represent the site for the proposal.

-The large green spot south of the terminal represents an area that has been revitalized over the years. Some of the buildings are new, and some were renovated. It's mostly residential, but there is a fitness center and a public swimming pool there as well. Plans for a National Lighthouse Museum have been in the works for well over a decade.

-The turquoise spots nearest to the terminal are apartment buildings with higher rents compared to the surrounding area. But again, relative to it's proximity to Manhattan it is fairly affordable.

-The turquoise dots further up the hill from the terminal are large old houses on tree-lined streets.

-The black line represents (as best as possible) the boundary between nice and not-so-nice neighborhoods.

-The Orange spots are areas that look a little run-down and have cheaper rents. However, I've spent a lot of time in this portion of the neighborhood over the years, and I've noticed that some young professionals have moved in, and their landlords seem to be doing better upkeep on the buildings.

-The Blue spots are not-so-nice areas that haven't seen any real gentrification, redevelopment, etc.

-Notice the black line that forms a circle where it says "New Brighton". This is quite a nice area surrounded by low-rent, somewhat unkept blocks. I included this on the map merely as an example of how very small areas can provide an anchor for revitalization or an increase in quality housing along the perimeter. I doubt the wheel will have much of an immediate impact on the area, so I didn't color code it.

-The black arrow in the bottom right corner points to Stapleton, another area that is primed for revitalization. There were poorly executed attempts to make the waterfront a motion picture studio hub, as well as a Naval Base. More reasonable approaches seem to be taking hold, and quality housing will likely be built there to take advantage of the excellent views, as well as the proximity to the ferry and the Verrazano.

***The rents will go up in the area surrounding the Ferry, but I predict that some of the borderline areas (orange on the map) will rapidly improve while remaining affordable. Perhaps in the years following, quality housing will spread from there. Even in the blue areas there are many houses that could be very nice if they were better cared for. Other than concerns about traffic, the arguments against the Wheel simply don't hold much water.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Duck From NY

St.George has become a place where young professionals and "hipsters" have found relatively low rents relative to it's distance from Manhattan. Some fellow Staten Islanders worry that the Wheel (+ hotels & outlets) will drive up the cost of rent in the immediate area.

That seems inevitable.