I spent a good deal of time early in the millennium working with Zeal Greenberg, of the World Development Endowment Foundation, on a plan to develop Governors Island. It's located in New York harbor just below the southern tip of Manhattan between Ellis Island and Brooklyn. This photo shows the tip of Manhattan as seen from the ferry terminal on Governors Island:
Here we're on a large lawn in the middle of the island, looking toward Manhattan:
These houses used to be officers quarters when the island was a military base:
Here's a link to the executive summary for our development proposal: Governors Island as a World Resource Center: A Vision for the Future Development of New York Harbor as a Global Cultural Center. The preface:
In 2002 the federal government transferred the management of Governors Island to the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC), operated jointly by New York State and New York City. The transfer deed specified that the island be developed for public purposes and prohibited permanent housing and casinos on the island. In 2005 GIPEC issued and Request for Expression of Interest (RFEI) followed by a Request for Proposal (RFP) in February 2006. The World Endowment Development Foundation submitted a formal proposal on May 10, 2006. This document contains the executive summary for that proposal.