Will Governors Island Become a Year Round Destination? NYC Hopes So.

On Friday just before Labor Day weekend, the NYCEDC launched an interactive installation on Governors Island called #GovIsland365 that will solicit New Yorkers to give feedback on turning Governors Island into a year round destination. A cube designed by artist Amber Rae located at Soisson Landing where the ferry drops off features an interactive chalkboard. Visitors can write their ideas on what they’d like to see on Governors Island if it were open 365 days a year until September 25th and anyone can fill out the online survey though the end of September.

View of Governors Island from The Hills, the new park that opened in August on Governors Island. One of the historic buildings that will be redeveloped is in the background, equal in size to the Chrysler Building laid on it side

The is just the precursor to an official Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) that will be released by the NYCEDC for proposals to transform Governors Island to a year round educational, cultural and recreational attraction, a project announced by Mayor Bill de Blasio earlier this year.

This follows $300 million in investment on the city-owned portion of Governors Island over the last six years, including the opening of the new park The Hills (with the city’s longest slide) this summer. The next phase of redevelopment will include reactivating 900,000 square feet of the landmarked buildings, the creation of new waterfront promenades, and the development of 33 acres on the south side of the island.

#GovIsland365 Cube. Photo by Julienne Schaer for NYCEDC

The NYCEDC envisions that the new hub, dubbed the “Governors Island Innovation Cluster will bring together educational institutions with growing firms, start-ups, inventors and thought-leaders, sparking new ideas, inventions and companies that will help position New York City as the worldwide leader in technology and innovation.” Little known is that there are already two year-round tenants on Governors Island: the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School, a public high school with 430 students and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Arts Center, an artist studio residency program.

Fill out the survey for what you’d like to see on Governors Island here. Next, check out the Top 10 Secrets of Governors Island.