Giant New York Ferris Wheel Project Going Forward
Despite some press reports that the giant Ferris wheel project on Staten Island in New York City is in danger of being scrapped, a spokesman for the $500 million project said the project is in “full construction and will not be scrapped.”
The Staten Island advance reported that Rich Marin, CEO of The New York Wheel, after a Dept. of City Planning meeting said the project would be scrapped unless proposed revisions are approved.
Modifications to the original design are now under consideration at the DCP approval process. The spokesman declined to estimate when that approval might be forthcoming. He also declined to comment on the DCP approval process.
The NY Wheel project was originally approved in 2013, but earlier this summer the developer requested modifications, including adding a floor to the parking structure to shrink its footprint but retain the same capacity.
Foundations are already being laid for the project. In that process, the developer found that there was not sufficient support for the original parking structure design. Modifications for other elements of the original design are also being sought, including the design of the green space and the location of the public playground.
“Everything is substantially the same, the size of the wheel, the number of parking spots, the playground” and the seven acres of green space, said the spokesman.
The 630-foot-tall observation wheel has been scheduled to open for business in 2017. Up to 1,400 passengers at a time would view the scenery of New York City, New Jersey and beyond during a slow-moving, 38-minute ride.
