Heart of the Harbor Governors Island Park Planning Workshop June 12, 2004 Briefing Book TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 INTRODUCTION 4 ABOUT THE GOVERNORS ISLAND ALLIANCE 5 GOVERNORS ISLAND PARK PLANNING WORKSHOP 6 AGENDA 7 TOUR MAP 8 HISTORY OF GOVERNORS ISLAND 9 GOVERNORS ISLAND TODAY 9 GOVERNORS ISLAND TODAY: TRANSFER TO NPS & GIPEC 9 THE FUTURE OF GOVERNORS ISLAND: TERMS OF TRANSFER 10 PLANNING FOR GOVERNORS ISLAND 12 DEFINING THE PARKS & RECREATION CLUSTER 13 LIST OF POTENTIAL PARK USES 14 PAST PLANS FOR GOVERNORS ISLAND 16 PHYSICAL PLANNING FRAMEWORK 16 PHYSICAL CONSTRAINTS 16 RELATIONSHIP CONDITIONS 18 HARBOR CONTEXT 20 HISTORIC CONTEXT 22 ENVIRONMENT 24 SPATIAL ORGANIZATION 26 WATER ACCESS & ESPLANADE 28 ACCESS/MOBILITY 30 SUPPLEMENTAL DIAGRAMS 31 ISLAND SIZE AND SCALE 32 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND PARTICIPANTS 2 Heart of the Harbor INTRODUCTION Governors Island Alliance would like to welcome Civil War, make it a touchstone for understanding you to Heart of the Harbor: Governors Island our nation's past. Park Planning Workshop on Saturday June 12, 2004. The community workshop is meant to The recent transfer of the Island from the Federal engage the public at an early stage in the plan- Government to the State/City Governors Island ning process now Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC) underway for Governors and the National Park Service has provided the PLEASE JOIN US FOR TWO Island. We are plan- first public access to the island in over two hun- GOVERNORS ISLAND EVENTS: ning a full day, and are dred years and a singular opportunity to incorpo- excited to have so rate an Island that few people know into the pub- Governors Island Park Planning Workshop many enthusiastic par- lic life of New Yorkers and the nation. Saturday, June 12, 2004 9am - 5 pm ticipants join us in think- Governors Island (ferry from Battery ing about the future of The workshop is being undertaken in cooperation Maritime Building) this special place. with the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC) and the National Panel Discussion on Workshop Located in Inner New Park Service (NPS) as part of their public plan- Tuesday, June 29, 2004 York Harbor just a short ning processes and is supported by a grant from Municipal Arts Society Urban Center ferry ride from Brooklyn the JM Kaplan Fund. NY Waterway has donated 457 Madison Avenue and Lower Manhattan, buses for our tour. the 172-acre island has sweeping harbor views, We hope you will also join us on the evening of lush green lawns and hundred year-old shade Tuesday, June 29 at the Municipal Arts Society’s trees. The island's incredible assemblage of his- Urban Center for a panel discussion on the toric buildings and military structures including results of the workshop. Fort Jay and Castle Williams, which pre-date the Governors Island Park Planning Workshop 3 ABOUT THE GOVERNORS ISLAND ALLIANCE The members of the Governors Island Alliance (GIA) civic coalition, led by Regional Plan Association (RPA), have worked collaboratively to help secure its return to New York and to ensure GOVERNORS ISLAND that the public interest determined its reuse. GIA ALLIANCE is a coalition of civic, environmental, and preser- vation organizations working to celebrate the GUIDING PRINCIPLES Island's rich history, create memorable parks and public spaces, and ensure appropriate reuse of the Island and its historic structures. GIA's con- cept of redeveloping the Island as a great civic The workshop is intended to help cre- space is the basis for the recent transfer and has ate Governors Island parkland that contributed to the establishment of a 22 acre delivers: National Monument, the set-aside of an additional 40 acres for a public park, and adoption of design restrictions in the National Landmark Historic 1. A grand new civic space for New District. York, the Region, and the Nation. Members of the Governors Island Alliance: 2. New uses that are primarily educa- American Institute of Architects/NY Chapter tional, recreational, and tourism- American Society of Landscape Architects of New related. York Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy 3. An experience that is unique to the City Parks Alliance Island. Environmental Advocates of NY Environmental Defense 4. A wide range of public programs Floating the Apple and tenants that will attract a diver- Friends of Hudson River Park sity of visitors Gowanus Dredgers Historic Districts Council 5. Protection and enhancement of the Manhattan Community Board No. 1 historic, maritime, and open space Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance character of the Island Municipal Art Society Natural Resources Defense Council 6. Reuse of the historic structures National Trust for Historic Preservation and landscapes on the Island NY Civic 7. A commitment to "Green" building NY Landmarks Conservancy NY League of Conservation Voters and sustainable development prin- New Yorkers for Parks ciples NY Parks and Conservation Association North River Community Environmental Review 8. Convenient and affordable ferry Board access from throughout the Harbor North River Historic Ship Society 9. Physical and programmatic links to Preservation League of NY Regional Plan Association other waterfront parks and destina- Riverkeeper tions Trees NY 10. Sufficient public and private capi- United War Veterans Council Urban Environmental Law Center tal & operating dollars to realize Waterfront Parks Coalition this vision Women's City Club of New York Working Watercraft of New York Harbor Working Waterfront 4 Heart of the Harbor GOVERNORS ISLAND PARK PLANNING WORKSHOP In cooperation with the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC) and the National Park Service, the Governors Island Alliance is sponsoring a community work- shop on June 12, 2004 to help plan for these parklands. The purpose of the community work- shop is to engage the public at an early stage in the planning process now underway on the Island. Through a series of facilitated discus- sions, participants will be asked to articulate their ideas for the park spaces. This information will be used by the Alliance, GIPEC and the National Park Service to frame the location, uses, pro- gramming, and design of the Island's parkland. The workshop is being undertaken as part of their public planning processes and is supported by a grant from the JM Kaplan Fund. A Day on Governors Island As a participant in the workshop, you will spend the morning learning Please about Governors Island and the hold on to afternoon discussing, in small your ferry groups, your aspirations for this ticket, which special place. The day will start you received with two tours of the island -- a with this brief- walking tour of the northern his- ing book. It toric portion, and a bus tour of tells you which the southern portion -- followed (see agenda on the following page for a list of tour group you’ll by an informational session on discussion topics). join in the morn- the Island’s history, status, ing (one takes the and the opportunities and At the end of the day, participants will gather in walking tour first challenges of planning for the full group to hear workshop reporters share and the bus tour the Island. Then, starting highlights from the small group discussions. second, and the oth- with a discussion over There will be another chance to hear about and er the reverse), and lunch, participants will discuss workshop findings on Tuesday, June 29, which small group spend the afternoon talk- at the Municipal Art Society’s Urban Center, when you’ll join in the after- ing in groups of approximately 10 the Governors Island Alliance assembles a panel noon. people, each led by two facilitators: one park discussion on the results of the workshop. planner or manager, and one landscape architect, architect, or urban designer. In a series of dis- Your insight and aspirations for Governors Island cussions, participants will consider prospective will inform park planning being done by the park uses and programming, their possible loca- Governors Island Preservation and Education tion on the Island, and how park uses should Corporation (GIPEC) and the National Park relate to the overall redevelopment of the Island Service (NPS). Governors Island Park Planning Workshop 5 AGENDA 9:00 AM sharp Ferry departs Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan 9:15 AM Tours of Governors Island Workshop participants will take a walking tour of the northern por- tion and a bus tour of the southern portion of the island. 11:00 AM Workshop Welcome and Plenary Orientation Robert Pirani, Regional Plan Association/Governors Island Alliance James Lima, Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation Linda Neal, National Park Service Steve Whitehouse, The Saratoga Associates Joe Berridge, Urban Strategies Rob Lane, Regional Plan Association Tupper Thomas, Prospect Park Alliance 12:30 PM Pick up Box Lunch and Break into Small Groups Small Group Discussion I: A Day on Governors Island Over lunch, participants will describe their ideal day on Governors Island when they return on a June day 20 years in the future. Small Group Discussion II: Identifying Prospective GI Park Uses Participants will be asked to prioritize possible park uses and activi- ties and consider how these relate to other activities on the island. Small Group Discussion III: Establishing a Planning Framework Participants will consider where on the Island their preferred uses could best be located. Base maps and a booklet that references size of possible uses will provide a basis for siting strategies Group Discussion IV: Describe Big Idea and Most Important Features Participants will decide on the most important feature or essential qualities of their scheme and explain this in detail. 4:00 PM Plenary Wrap - Up Workshop reporters will share highlights from the small group dis- cussions 4:30 and 5:30 Ferries back to lower Manhattan PM 6 Heart of the Harbor TOUR MAP Ferry dock Fort Jay Dining hall Groups A and B will alter- nate seeing the island on a bus tour and on a walking tour.