Posted Jul 23, 2013, 6:50 PM
|
|
New Yorker for life
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Borough of Jersey
Posts: 52,906
|
|
http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf...ump_state.html
Despite design bump, Staten Island Wheel rolls toward OK
By Ryan Lavis
July 14, 2013
Quote:
As best he can, Rich Marin is ensuring everyone gets what they want from the New York Wheel, himself included. Sometimes easier said than done, this former banker-turned-developer has had a back and forth with city agencies, the public, and local politicians from the start of the St. George project, always sticking to a simple guiding philosophy of "we can work it out."
For example, there's one outstanding design issue concerning differing viewpoints between two city agencies -- the Public Design Commission and the Department of City Planning. The problem stems from a disagreement the two entities have over how the design of a special utility pole should look. One says that the pole, which houses mechanical and electrical materials above flood zones, should be more utilitarian, while the other contends that it should be aesthetically pleasing.
Marin is hoping to find a middle ground. "I just want something that will make everyone happy," he said during a meeting Tuesday with the Advance's Editorial Board. "If it were up to us, we'd be done, pencils down. But we have to keep satisfying both of those bodies and to do that requires a bit of back and forth."
....if it were up to Marin, no one would ever have to drive to his attraction. Rather, he's taking extreme measures to ensure the majority of his estimated three-million plus customers arrive via ferry service once the Wheel opens in 2016. "If I never had to have anybody come by car or bus I would be happy," he said.
To that end, Marin has been in talks with several waterborne transit providers, and plans on constructing a dock on site to handle the extra vessels. Located near the base of Wall Street, he has approached the Department of Transportation on the issue, and even hired a maritime engineer to go over logistics.
"If I'm serious about wanting this to be a waterborne transit location, I've got to have a place where private ferries can come," he said.
On increasing Staten Island Ferry service, Marin had similar views to the borough president, saying that only if there's a need. He noted that the Wheel will operate from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. during the winter, and run until midnight in the summer, with extended hours during special days. "There will clearly be more traffic for the ferry in the wee hours than there has been," he said. "I think that clearly we will be part of that equation of the ferry reevaluating its needs."
|
__________________
NEW YORK is Back!
“Office buildings are our factories – whether for tech, creative or traditional industries we must continue to grow our modern factories to create new jobs,” said United States Senator Chuck Schumer.
|