The Common Council of the Roosevelt Island Residents Association
(RIRA) started the process of formalizing a plan to manage a
legal fund on Wednesday night.
![[Picture]](mac.jpg)
A resolution prepared by Ken
MacDermotRoe of Island House, was put before the Council, and is
to be considered Monday night at a meeting of its Executive
Committee, then at a follow-up extra session of the Common
Council. It specifies three purposes for the fund:
- To ensure that residents of Mitchell-Lama housing will not be
displaced by increased rents in the event of buy-outs.
- To force the State to include elected representatives of
Island residents as equal partners in decisions on new
development.
- To force the State to adhere to the Island's General
Development Plan (GDP), particularly with regard to requirements
that the Island be a mixed-income community.
The GDP is the subject of a major disagreement. The Roosevelt
Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) has taken the position that
the GDP is not a fully binding part of the arrangement under
which the State of New York holds Roosevelt Island under lease
from the City of New York. Others, including City Councilmember
Gifford Miller (related story contend
that the GDP is binding and that RIOC must formally seek consent
before undertaking development not specifically allowed by the
plan.
The MacDermotRoe plan calls for creation of a committee of
residents to manage the legal fund, to be chaired by a member of
the RIRA Common Council. The committee is to recommend a law
firm, then work with the firm on a strategy to achieve the fund's
purposes.
The plan also specifies initial steps, including consideration of
litigation.
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