FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 9, 2004
CONTACT:
Edward Skyler / Jennifer Falk (212) 788-2958
Iva Benson (NYC2012) (646) 587-5490
Rachaele Raynoff (City Planning) (212) 720-3471
Megan Sheekey / Warner Johnston (Parks) (212) 360-1311
MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG, STATEN ISLAND BOROUGH PRESIDENT JAMES P. MOLINARO AND NYC2012 ANNOUNCE CYCLING VENUE
FOR 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES IN STATEN ISLAND
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Staten Island Borough
President James P. Molinaro today announced that the
proposed venues for Mountain Biking and BMX for the 2012
Olympic Games have been moved from the Staten Island
Greenbelt to Fresh Kills Park in Staten Island. These
venues constitute the final change in the "Olympic
X" venue plan for the City’s bid, which will
be submitted to the International Olympic Committee (IOC)
on November 15, 2004. Fresh Kills, once the home to the
world’s largest landfill has become the site of
the most ambitious parks and open space projects in history,
and it will be the largest expansion of the City’s
parks system in more than 100 years. City Council Member
Andrew Lanza, Olympic Gold Medalist and NYC2012 Senior
Advisor for Sports Donna de Varona (Swimming: 1960, 1964,
2 Gold), City Planning Commissioner Amanda M. Burden
and Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe joined the Mayor
and Borough President for the announcement on site, where
a demonstration of Mountain Biking and BMX, the Olympic
Games’ newest, exciting sport, took place.
"
The commitment of moving Mountain Biking and
BMX from Greenbelt Park to Fresh Kills will expedite
the transformation of the area into one of New York
City’s most spectacular parks," said Mayor
Bloomberg. "Should we be awarded the 2012 Olympic
Games, a deadline will be in place to complete the
south mound by early 2012, and will spur construction
and landscaping of over 300 acres of this 2,200 acre
site, a spectacular example of how existing City initiatives
will benefit from the focus and deadlines imposed by
the bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This
tremendous new venue will strengthen our bid, enrich
the legacy of parks and open space that the Games will
leave for our City, and create an incredible Mountain
Biking and BMX amenity for the community to enjoy for
years to come."
"This is great news for Staten Islanders who
have gone from having the largest dump in the world
to the largest park in the City of New York, and now
it will be a site for the 2012 Olympics," said
Borough President Molinaro. "It is also worth
mentioning that NYC2012 plans to invest over $21 million
in the construction of mountain biking trails that
will be left behind for Staten Islanders to enjoy after
the Olympic Games."
"The Olympic and Paralympic Movement has inspired
the world’s greatest cities time and again to
invest in the future," said Deputy Mayor Doctoroff.
"We saw spectacular transformations in Seoul, Barcelona,
Sydney, and most recently in Athens. New York has already
been motivated by the Olympic Movement to start building
a lasting legacy for the city and the world."
"Today’s announcement is another concrete
step forward in the transformation of this dreaded
landfill into what will one day soon be one of the
most spectacular public parks in this City’s
history," said Council Member Lanza. "Staten
Islanders should have no doubts that this project is
on schedule, and I want to thank Mayor Bloomberg and
his team for their unwavering commitment to getting
the job done."
In addition to accelerating the
transformation of a former landfill into a public park,
a 2012 Olympics
would create New York’s first permanent Mountain
Biking and BMX competition courses. NYC2012 will
invest $21 million to create the mountain biking
trails and BMX course, in addition to the temporary
facilities needed during the Games. Along a combination
of shaded paths and broad open meadows, the challenging
terrain would include a 5-mile (8-km) mountain biking
course and 0.2-mile (350-meter) dirt BMX track. After
the Olympic and Paralympic Games a portion of the
Mountain Biking trails and BMX course will remain
for competitive and recreational use affording New
Yorkers with world class competitive and recreational
biking facilities, scenic parkland, and an international
model for integrating sport with the environment.
BMX is the Olympic Games’ newest sport, and
is slated to join the Olympic program in 2008 in
Beijing.
"Fresh Kills already has an unexpected beauty
with rolling, grassy hills set amidst wetland and woodland
habitats. These features present a unique opportunity
to create a public park that balances recreational
facilities and natural habitat," said City Planning
Director Amanda Burden. "The Mountain Biking
venue will benefit from and add to the character of
the Fresh Kills site. We are committed to working with
the public every step of the way on this exciting opportunity
and the landmark transformation of Fresh Kills into
an important park."
"The transformation of Fresh Kills
into a premiere public park is one of our most ambitious
and far-reaching
plans," said Parks & Recreation Commissioner
Adrian Benepe. "The prospect of hosting the Mountain
Biking and BMX competitions in Fresh Kills will accelerate
our drive to complete this magnificent new open space."
In
September 2003, the Mayor kicked-off master the planning
process to map out the future use of the 2,200-acre
Fresh Kills site on Staten Island. The Olympic Mountain
Biking and BMX venues will be located on the south
mound portion of Fresh Kills, an area already designated
for active recreational use and one of the first
to be targeted for development within the site. The
process
to plan new uses for Fresh Kills is being conducted
by a multi-disciplinary team led by Field Operations,
a landscape architecture and urban design firm. In
March 2004, the first public meeting was held to
discuss the conceptual plan with the community and
get feedback,
which will be used to develop the Master Plan. The
community has already made suggestions for active
and passive recreation at Fresh Kills such as field
and
court sports, golf, boating, a nature preserve, greenways
and equestrian trails. Another priority is the building
of park drives that connect to nearby public streets;
this, community leaders say, will help alleviate
the Island’s traffic congestion.
It is projected
that some areas of Fresh Kills, with immediate planning
and design, could be turned to beneficial
use in as few as five years. The 2,200-acre Fresh Kills
site, located on the western shore of Staten Island,
is almost three times the size of Central Park, and
was officially closed as a landfill in 2001. For more
information about the redevelopment process, visit
the Department of City Planning’s master plan
website at www.nyc.gov/freshkills.
In addition to the commitment at Fresh Kills, the City’s
bid for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will expedite
the planning and completion of addition recreational
and infrastructure projects citywide including:
- The
Flushing Pool: In August 2004, the Mayor announced plans to finalize the design and commence construction of the Flushing Pool located within Flushing Meadow Corona Park. After being stalled for years, construction of the facility is scheduled to commence in January 2005, and should be completed in 2007. This 50-meter (164-feet) Olympic-size pool will be the first of its size built in New York City in over 30 years.
- Manhattans Far West Side: The City
and State have partnered to create an ambitious redevelopment
plan for Manhattans Far West Side. The plan involves
transforming a underused industrial area adjacent to
Midtown Manhattan into one of the Citys most exciting
24/7, mixed-use neighborhoods. Plans allow for the
significant expansion of the Jacob Javits Convention
Center including the construction of the 75,000 seat
New York Sports & Convention Center, a one-mile extension
of the #7 subway line, a new network of parks and open
space, and land use changes that will allow for the
development of millions of square feet of new office
space and thousands of new residential units in the
coming decades.
- Queens West Development: The development corporation is working
with NYC2012 to create 4,600 units of new housing and 48 acres of new parks
on another industrial site along the Queens waterfront. During the Olympic
Games, this network of buildings will be used as the Olympic Village, and afterwards,
they will serve as much-needed new housing for New York City residents. The
Olympic Village design will create the most accessible, environmentally sound,
and technologically advanced neighborhood in the city, providing a lasting
legacy for the city of New York.
- Greenpoint-Williamsburg Waterfront: As part of Citys plans to transform a two-mile stretch of the Brooklyn waterfront from vacant, industrial land into new housing and parks, the City will build a 28-acre new waterfront park. This park will serve to open the waterfront in these sections of Brooklyn to public access and during the Olympic Games, serve as the location for the Aquatics Center. After the Games, the Williamsburg community will be left with an Olympic-size outdoor pool with stunning views of the Manhattan skyline.
This past August, NYC2012 unveiled its adjusted venue plan, the Olympic X, which
positions the majority of venues in three main clusters along two transportation
routes, one water and one rail, that intersect at the Olympic Village. The Village,
located across the river from the United Nations, puts athletes at the center
of the Games in the heart of the City. From the Village, athletes, coaches, and
officials will enjoy quick and easy transportation to all venues and practice
facilities. Last May, the architectural firm Morphosis of Santa Monica, CA, was
selected to design the Olympic Village with their plan: a long, sinuous ribbon
of primarily low-rise buildings that skirt the waterfront and have beautiful
views of the Manhattan skyline, dramatically reducing the number of high-rise
residences outlined in the original Village concept from 10 to 2.
An Olympic Games in New York would leave a powerful legacy that will restore
New Yorks connection to Olympic sports, creating new world-class venues, training centers for elite athletes and renovated fields for youth. Additionally, the Games would spur the largest single investment in parks and recreational facilities in the Citys history and bring a regional economic impact of over $12 billion, and creating over 135,000 jobs.
New York is one of five Candidate Cities for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic
Games. The other Candidate Cities are London, Madrid, Moscow and Paris. The IOC
will select a Host City for the 2012 Games on July 6, 2005 in Singapore.
About City Planning
The Department of City Planning is responsible for
the City's physical and socioeconomic planning, including
land use and environmental review; preparation of
plans and policies; and provision of technical assistance
and planning information to government agencies,
public
officials, and community boards.
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