Earlier, we posted our first Make It Better article, featuring dynamics that might help Main Street Retail, but a reader made us think about the visuals. They are, in a word, awful and not getting better. RIOC, ironically, is the worst offender while profiting most. It’s all fixable, though, with commitment and a little effort.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Main Street Visuals, The Look of Things
Let’s take a visual tour of the Main Street retail area. Ask yourself is these are sidewalks you enjoy walking along, storefronts that welcome, inviting you in.
We’re tired of talking about it and highlighting this abomination. It’s ugly and increases safety risks. It has no rational reason for being, and RIOC won’t remove it.
Making it a little worse, it mars the entrance to Bread & Butter Market, Main Street’s most successful business.
It matches a RIOC theme, all along Main Street.
But it’s not everybody…
Available storefronts are an issue all along the street, but Westview’s management shows that it mustn’t always be ugly. Here, it’s manageable.
When Westview exited Mitchell-Lama, it pulled this section out of Hudson-Related’s Shops on Main. The contrast is striking.
A tone for visuals set by RIOC. Its headquarters storefront couldn’t be more unwelcoming. Frosted glass sends a “Keep out” message where a positive theme could be set. It doesn’t stop there.
RIOC’s bruising appearance repeats.
Scaffolding left out after the work it was set up to protect is long over is a scourge on the Upper East Side, but it found its way to Roosevelt Island.
Nearby businesses are affected as it mars the streetscape. Why hasn’t RIOC ordered it taken down?
Visuals: Dangers Beyond the Storefronts
RIOC sunk millions into upgrading the Youth Center, but that investment apparently did not include any signs. Imagine a bright, welcoming entrance showing pride in what’s inside.
As the Roosevelt Island Public Library shows, it’s simple and inexpensive. Not only does the Youth Center go without an identifying sign, it also covers every window with posters, except for the ones that feature mirrored glass.
Why does RIOC act so consistently as if it has something to hide?
Couple the absence of public safety officers with broken pavement and rolling sidewalks… This week, I missed being hit by an eBike by inches here. It raced along the curb between a unloading Red Bus, never stopping for the crosswalk or stop sign.
After all this time, they take the absence of any enforcement for granted.
Public Safety failed at protecting pedestrians from reckless powered vehicles for so long, we take the negligence for granted now. It detracts from the pleasure of walking on Main Street, especially for special needs folks and older adults.
One Terrific Resident, One Community Advocate
Dear Nancy Brown,
I hope this email finds you well. A few months ago, you reached out to me regarding some roads on Roosevelt Island that are in disrepair, particularly concerning for the disabled community navigating the island. I forwarded your concerns to the board and the executive team at the time, but unfortunately, they were not addressed, and for that, I sincerely apologize on behalf of RIOC.
Your concerns about the impact of these road issues on the disabled community, particularly in terms of accessibility between buildings and on Main Street, are deeply troubling. Despite your repeated efforts to bring attention to these matters, the administration has regrettably not taken action to address them promptly.
RIOC Board Member Ben Fhala
Signs of the Times
Like Nisi, some businesses work hard at creating warm and welcoming storefronts. The expense the owners put into this is legendary.
But the values take a dive when, month after month, pedestrians see this next door…
You might just as well have blown a hole in the wall.
Finally, the story in a single image…
Empty.
The Committee Man
Committees are supposed to be where outcomes are shaped. They are meant to be the place where questions slow decisions down, where competing interests surface, and where public responsibility is exercised before anything reaches a formal vote.
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