Dear Roosevelt Island Neighbors,
We’ve crossed 2,123 signatures, and we’re closing in on 2,500. Thank you.
Here’s the quick ask for this week:
Come say hello tomorrow. ArchRI will be at Roosevelt Island Day — Saturday, June 6, 11 AM to 3 PM, Firefighters Field. We’d love to meet you in person.
A little news we’re proud of: ArchRIca was named one of the Historic Districts Council’s 2026 “Six to Celebrate” — New York City’s citywide list of preservation priorities. It’s a real signal that what this community is building together is being recognized well beyond the Island.
At our table we’re asking neighbors a simple question: What do you remember about Roosevelt Island, and What do you want for its future? Bring a memory, write down an idea, and tell us what you’d love to see in the Island’s next chapter — including What a Reimagined Steam Plant could be for all of us.
On that: the Steam Plant is physically salvageable. Independent experts who’ve examined it have said so. Demolishing it is a city policy choice, not a safety necessity — the city’s own deputy building commissioner confirmed on the record that it was never declared an emergency. We’ve formally asked the city for soil testing and air monitoring around the site, and we haven’t seen them put in place yet.
There’s some movement worth sharing, too: the City and HPD have now confirmed they’ll take part in a Community Advisory Group for the site — but 44 days after our elected officials first asked for one, it still hasn’t been formed. We’ll keep pressing, and we’ll keep you posted.
Three ways to help right now:
Sign and share this petition — help us get to 2,500.
Support the fundraiser. Our GoFundMe is live: https://gofund.me/1e10ac8d3
Leave us your email at the booth tomorrow (or at our web site) so we can keep you in the loop on the soil-testing, air-monitoring ask, the CAG formation and anything else Steam Plant or Island wide related.
Come find us at RI Day. Let’s talk about the Island we remember — and the one we want to build.
With gratitude,
ArchRI