(Renderings courtesy RethinkNYC, Cezar Nicolescu, and Sigmund Lerner)
The New York Times published an editorial on February 24 called “Imagining a Rikers Island With No Jail” that proposes various uses for the East River island if its prison were closed. “As for the island, it should be given back to the sea gulls,” the editorial concludes, “or used for affordable housing, or an extension of LaGuardia Airport.”
If fact, AN published an Op-Ed piece with James Venturi on July 15, 2015, that presents a convincing argument for repurposing Rikers Island as an extension to LaGuardia. We thought it was time to revisit Venturi’s plan and bring it back for public discussion.
