Upcoming RIRA Planning Committee Meeting
The Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) will have a Planning Committee meeting this Wednesday, 8-9 PM via Zoom. As RIRA President, in this 2024-2026 term, I have been working on reviving RIRA and its mission, including expanding RIRA committee work – the main elements of RIRA’s mission. Right now we’re working on restarting several committee efforts: Planning, Island Services, Public Safety, and Communications. As many of you know, we have our ongoing emergency preparedness webinars on Thursdays, each week an important topic with in-depth and practical information. In other words, RIRA is working on important efforts with substance – focus upon quality over quantity.
As residents, you can participate in any of these efforts, and I look forward to your participation. Here, I am letting you know about the Planning Committee effort, we will meet this Wednesday, October 29 at 8-9 PM via Zoom, and monthly on the third Wednesday of the month at 8-9 PM via Zoom: Nov 19, Dec 17, Jan 21. RIRA committees, typically, have a Program of Work: a list of topics/issues to work on over several meetings, as most items take more than a month to resolve. Over time, old items get resolved and new items get added. Here are four topics that will be introduced on Wednesday:
- Topic 1: RIOC’s Preliminary Budget for 2026-2027. Discussion: Over the decades, RIRA has provided review of RIOC’s proposed budgets, and useful feedback for RIOC Board, executives, and staff. This review will focus upon planning-related topics.
- Topic 2: Issues on long term financial planning for RIOC. Discussion: There are reports of RIOC looking for long-term funding sources, yet the main development areas are fully built. This needs to be understood by the community before RIOC seeks to increase fees that the community would bear.
- Topic 3: Roosevelt Island Master Lease Renewal (expires 2068). Discussion: The Island’s master lease, signed in 1969 and expiring in 2068, is more than four decades away – so why worry? Answer: Because the financing of building operations (roof repair, facade repair, major repairs, etc.) are typically financed via bank loans. In 2028, there will be less than 40 years left on the lease, so the building goes from being categorized as an ownership property to categorized a commercial lease (higher interest rates), which affects everyone’s rent or maintenance payments. So it is important for this to be resolved soon, and it’s important for residents to have inputs to the process, not just building owners.
- Topic 4: Roosevelt Island Traffic Planning – Car, Bike, Scooter, Pedestrians. Discussion: RIRA has provided numerous inputs and reviews over the past decades, which has greatly improved safety and long-term planning for the Island. This area involves several aspects of transportation planning and understanding various needs and hazards of roadway, pathway, and sidewalk users.
In addition to residents being welcome, also RIOC board members, community board members, elected reps, organization reps, developers, and business owners are welcome to participate.
Here is the Zoom link for these recurring meetings:
Date: October 29, 2025
Time: 8-9 PM
Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85861228983?pwd=eE4H3oXpiB7MJ4UAvSXRRud9vFYFLf.1
Meeting ID: 858 6122 8983
Passcode: 591680
FYI, the RIRA Planning Committee has these terms of reference in RIRA By-laws, Article 3:
Section 6, Planning Committee
There shall be a Planning Committee that shall represent the Council on matters involving future development of Roosevelt Island, including but not limited to commercial development, housing, vehicular access, transportation, social services and energy; monitor and recommend RIRA positions on planning matters; and recommend changes in the structure, constitution and programs of RIRA to ensure its continued effectiveness.
It is also responsible for recommending and implementing RIRA policy on all matters relating to energy conservation, distribution and generation.
I look forward to your participation in this effort!
Frank Farance
RIRA President
E-mail: rira.president.farance@gmail.com
Editor’s Note – I spoke with Mr Farance about RIRA’s mission, past accomplishments and revival efforts in October 2024.
As RIRA VP, I had no idea that Frank was confirmed to be Head of the Planning Committee.
Being RIRA VP has it’s challenges. However, I try to be as supportive as possible without compromising my own stances.
But, doesn’t this position require a vote. Or, is it self appointed?
Felica, you’ve misunderstood the process and the history even in your own work. There is no statement or assertion that I am the Chair of the Planning Committee. As I told you directly, there is no vote required to have a meeting – this was announced to the Common Council, just as you announced on October 12 that you are volunteering to for the Island Services Committee (and there was no vote) and I encouraged you to hold monthly meetings and supported you for you interest in the RIRA Island Services Committee. Two other Common Council members have expressed interest in other RIRA committees and have sought to further their efforts, which I supported them. All of this is in the spirit of growing the RIRA Common Council, having our volunteers take on RIRA mission areas that interest them, and getting more residents involved in the RIRA work. None of the four of us have been appointed chair of those committees (which requires a vote), all of us have been treated consistently and fairly according to our governing documents.