The island, which is about 172 acres, has been largely deserted since the city and state bought it from the U.S. Coast Guard four years ago for $1. When completed, New Yorkers will be able to hop on a free bicycle and ride along a waterfront promenade, listen to a concert at an outdoor amphitheater or explore the park, to be built with recyclable materials.

“Governors Island has been, until now, an asset that has not been fully developed,” Gov. Eliot Spitzer said. “There it is at the epicenter of so much excitement and activity, and yet it has languished without sufficient attention.”

A team led by the Dutch architectural firm West 8 was chosen from among five finalists to turn a 2-mile road into a broad walkway along the water, create a new, 40-acre park on the southern portion of the island, and refashion the open space around the buildings that make up the portion of the property designated as a national historic district.

“It’s a cold, windswept island,” said West 8 landscape architect Adriann Geuze. “We want to change it into a warm, diverse place.”

The design and environmental review process is expected to take about two years, officials said. Eventually, the city and state hope that the redesigned parkland will attract other types of development to Governors Island.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has speculated that his philanthropic foundation might seek to build a public health center there. Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff said that the city is also conducting a technical and financial feasibility study to determine whether it makes sense to build a gondola service to Governors Island from both lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. Right now, the ferry ride takes about seven minutes. The island is open to the public for tours during the summer.

Source: New York Newsday