Yesterday, Mayor Bill de Blasio delivered his State of the City address. His two main points? Well, the first was that plan to build a street car that would run all the way from Queens to Brooklyn.
His second main point? Well, that one focused on Governors Island. More specifically, de Blasio plans to overhaul Governors Island, and transform it into a year-round destination.
DNAInfo reported that during Mayor de Blasio's address, he referred to the city's plans to turn Governors Island into an "Innovation Cluster."
The Governors Island Innovation Cluster will "bring together innovators, entrepreneurs and educators to generate new ideas, economic activity and jobs," said a statement from the mayor's office.
To create The Innovation Cluster, the city will develop 33 acres on the south side of the island to focus on the successes of educational institutions and startups. The Mayor's office said this would all "help position New York City as the worldwide leader in technology and innovation."
In addition to the 33 acres on the south side of the island, the new cluster will also take up 900,000 square-feet of space within the Historic District on Governors Island's northern end.
This is far from the first development on Governors Island in recent years. All told, the city's invested more than $300 million toward the transformation of the island since 2010.
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They've fixed up and opened 30 new acres of parkland and built new pipelines for potable water. More parkland will open this summer, including The Hills, a 10-acre park that will both offer panoramic views of the New York Harbor and safeguard against flooding.
That's far from the last of the plans for the island's new attractions.
On the island, the city's also planning to build a day spa, restaurants, and an international student campus and expanded arts center for the Center for International Education Exchange, a nonprofit that specializes in study and work abroad programs.
Governors Island will issue requests for proposals this summer for the Innovation Cluster's design and construction. The city says work on the project could start in 2019.
By then, though, we'll already be sliding down Governors Island's slides, and lounging in the 50 bright red hammocks planned for The Hills, so we doubt we'll be worried about it. Check out this video from the NYC Mayor's Office to see what other ways de Blasio is working for NYC's neighborhoods.
Check out Mayor de Blasio Officially Supports Those Queens-Brooklyn Streetcars.
[via DNAinfo] [Feature Image Courtesy Inhabitat]