City Council Green-Lights Cornell's Roosevelt Island Campus
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - The New York City Council has voted to approve construction of a university outpost on Roosevelt Island.
The $2 billion Cornell University Roosevelt Island Technology Campus and Office Complex project is slated to break ground next year.
"This world-class applied sciences and engineering campus is expected to have a $33 billion economic impact on the five boroughs, creating an estimated 48,000 new jobs and 1,000 spin-offs over the next three decades," New York City Councilwoman Jessica Lappin told reporters including WCBS 880's Rich Lamb ahead of the vote on Wednesday. "This is really a once in a generation opportunity to transform our economy and to drive innovation in this city."
City Council Poised To Green-Light Cornell's Roosevelt Island Campus
Lappin said barges will be used as much as possible during the construction of CornellNYC Tech.
"It's going to be a lot of the really heavy materials that not just tax our environment but tax our infrastructure and our roads," she said.
She pointed out that Roosevelt Island has just one real road, Main Street. She said as much as possible, the goal is to keep trucks off of the road.
The city is providing free land and up to $100 million in improvements.
Wednesday's vote is an important step, but other approvals are still needed.
Once the campus opens, Lappin said those heading to Roosevelt Island will be able to get there by tram, subway and possibly ferry.
The 11-acre campus is projected to open in 2017.
You May Also Be Interested In These Stories
(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
