The CB8 Roosevelt Island Committee meets on Zoom on Monday, November 2, at 6:30 PM, and the first item on its agenda is a RIOC update from B.J. Jones, the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation’s President and CEO.
Manhattan Community Board 8 announced the meeting in an email bulletin sent Thursday afternoon. The session is online only. Residents who want to attend need to register for Zoom access through CB8 before the meeting.
What is on the agenda
CB8 lists five items for the evening:
- RIOC Update, B.J. Jones, CEO and President
- Library Update
- Community Update
- Old Business
- New Business
Paul Krikler chairs the committee. The bulletin names the topics but does not say what Jones or the library update will cover.
Jones and RIOC
Jones came to RIOC from the Battery Park City Authority, where he was President and CEO. RIOC announced in August 2025 that he would take over that September, succeeding Shelton J. Haynes, who had led the corporation since March 2021. The Daily covered the announcement in RIOC Welcomes B.J. Jones as President and CEO.
What CB8 does
Community Board 8 covers the Upper East Side from East 59th to East 96th Street, plus Roosevelt Island. According to the CB8 overview page, its 50 unsalaried members are appointed by the Manhattan Borough President.
The board is advisory. Its recommendations, called resolutions, carry no authority over city agencies or elected officials, as CB8’s frequently asked questions explain. Committees do the first round of work, and the full board, meeting on the third Wednesday of each month, reviews their recommendations and votes on them for final approval.
CB8 says the Roosevelt Island Committee handles challenges tied to the island’s relationship with the state and the city. The state’s 99-year lease on the island expires in 2068.
How the CB8 Roosevelt Island Committee works
CB8’s Roosevelt Island Committee archive lists meetings going back to 2015. Its 2026 listings show meetings on February 2, April 6, May 4 and July 6, and the June 1 meeting was canceled.
Past agendas have looked much like this one. At the February CB8 Roosevelt Island Committee meeting, the agenda ran through RIOC updates, library news and community updates before discussion turned to unhoused neighbors on the subway platform and a proposed 200-bed women’s shelter at 1114 First Avenue.
What came up this year
A steam plant demolition update has been on the committee’s agenda in April, May and July. At the May 4 meeting, according to the May 2026 Roosevelt Island Committee minutes, Bryant Daniels of RIOC said the corporation had asked the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development for information about the demolition and was awaiting a response. Emanuella Grinberg, one of several local advocates who spoke, said complaints were still being filed but there had been no changes from the Department of Buildings or HPD.
The July 2026 Roosevelt Island Committee minutes record no RIOC update that night. Kate Federiconi of the Roosevelt Island Library ran through summer programs, including a survey asking adults what programs they want, and advocates gave another steam plant update.
How residents can weigh in
CB8’s Get Involved page says each monthly full board meeting opens with a public session where anyone may speak on any topic for up to three minutes. Speakers must hand a speaker form to the district manager no later than 6:45 PM.
The board office can be reached at 212-758-4340 or info@cb8m.com.
How to attend
The meeting starts at 6:30 PM Monday. Registration is required for the Zoom link. CB8 posts its meetings on the CB8 calendar, where past entries for many meetings include minutes and recording links.
Who Does This?
At the June 18 meeting of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation’s Real Estate Development Advisory Committee, President and Chief Executive Officer B.J. Jones acknowledged that there had been no progress finding a tenant for the long-discussed medical space on Main Street. Hudson/Related Realty LLC had told him that filling the space, along with other vacant storefronts, was proving more difficult than expected.
