Development Tracker — Governors, Randall's & Roosevelt Islands
What's Being Built on Manhattan's Islands? A Climate Campus on Governors Island, a New Psychiatric Hospital on Wards Island & the Roosevelt Island Steam Plant Fight
Hush Street tracks what's being built on Manhattan's islands: the $700 million climate campus, Harbor School expansion and pier rebuild on Governors Island, the Wards Island plant upgrade and planned psychiatric hospital, Randall's Island's nature center, and Roosevelt Island's Steam Plant and Coler plans.
16
Projects Tracked
3
Islands Covered
$700M
New York Climate Exchange
5
Under Construction
Oct. 2026
Updated
Watch →Steam Plant Lawsuit PendingClimate Exchange Not Yet Permitted
By Hush Street Editorial
What’s Changing
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The Trust for Governors Island started a $64 million rebuild of Yankee and Lima piers.Oct. 2026
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Landmarks approved the Climate Exchange's work on Liggett Hall.Sep. 2026
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Residents sued to stop the Roosevelt Island Steam Plant smokestack demolition.Jul. 2026
Almost all of the building on these islands is being done by public agencies and nonprofits rather than private developers. On Governors Island, a 2021 rezoning opened development zones on the south island for climate-focused uses; their anchor, the $700 million New York Climate Exchange, is approved and aiming to break ground. A new Harbor School building, a power substation and a rebuild of the island’s main ferry piers are under way around it.
On Randall’s and Wards Islands the work is mostly infrastructure and health care: a nitrogen-removal upgrade at the city’s Wards Island wastewater plant, a planned state psychiatric hospital and a new park nature center. Roosevelt Island’s build-out is essentially finished; its next chapter turns on a City-State planning process for the Coler hospital campus and the decommissioned Steam Plant, whose demolition residents are fighting in court.
Where records and press reports disagree on sizes or dates, both are given. A permit is not treated as proof that construction has started.
A climate campus waiting to break ground, and the school, power and piers being built around it.
1
The New York Climate Exchange
Liggett Hall and the South Island on Governors Island, via Google Maps. —
Imagery: Google Maps
Address/Location400A Clayton Road, Liggett Hall and the South Island development zones
Developer/ApplicantThe New York Climate Exchange, anchored by Stony Brook University, on Trust for Governors Island land; Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
ProjectA climate research and education campus of about 400,000 square feet and $700 million, with two new mass-timber buildings and a renovated portion of Liggett Hall in its first phase of about 250,000 square feet (YIMBY, the Exchange).
StatusApproved
Latest UpdateCity Planning certified the campus on Feb. 26, 2026 (ZAP 2025M0426), and Landmarks approved the Liggett Hall work on Sept. 9. The three main DOB applications were still in objections, with no permits issued, as of late October. The Exchange says it is scheduled to break ground in late 2026 and open in fall 2029.
Funded in Part by the City and Philanthropy
The Exchange lists about $150 million in city capital, $100 million from the Simons Foundation and $50 million from Bloomberg Philanthropies, with about $400 million still to be raised. No groundbreaking had been announced as of late October.
Developer/ApplicantNYC School Construction Authority with the Trust for Governors Island
ProjectA five-story building with a competition pool, gym and maritime labs for the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School, plus an annex in Building 555. YIMBY and the Mayor’s Office describe a 110,000-square-foot, $140 million facility; DOB lists about 72,000 square feet of construction.
StatusTopped Out
Latest UpdateThe building broke ground in November 2024 and topped out in September 2025; by June 2026 the façade was going on, YIMBY reported. The site board lists a March 2027 completion.
The Island's Only Public High School Doubles
The expansion takes the campus from two buildings to four.
Developer/ApplicantTrust for Governors Island, with city funding; Skanska as construction manager; Indigo River (design)
ProjectA $64 million rebuild of two roughly 60-year-old Coast Guard piers. Yankee Pier is being raised to an 11-foot elevation with room for up to four ferry routes, and Lima Pier will handle freight, construction and emergency access (Baird Maritime, WorkBoat).
StatusWork Starting
Latest UpdateThe Trust announced the start of the rebuild on Oct. 21, 2026, with demolition preparation beginning in October and ferries moving to Pier 101 from Nov. 2. No completion date has been published.
Ferries Move During the Work
An earlier 2026 solicitation described replacing Lima Pier with a custom barge, so its final design is unconfirmed.
Developer/ApplicantTrust for Governors Island; Skanska ($67 million contract)
ProjectA two-story, fully enclosed 27-kilovolt electrical substation built to serve the Harbor School expansion and the Climate Exchange and to allow all-electric buildings (Skanska).
StatusTopped Out
Latest UpdateSkanska and the Trust marked the topping out in April 2026, with completion targeted for 2027. DOB issued safety violations after worker injuries on July 13 and Oct. 14, 2026; no stop-work order was found.
Power for the South Island
City Planning certified the building in October 2025 (ZAP 2025M0365).
Sources: Skanska (Sept. 2025); SolarQuarter (Apr. 2026); NYC DOB NOW job M01190490-I1 and ECB records (Oct. 2026)
5
Building 140
Building 140, via Google Street View. —
Imagery: Google Street View
Latest UpdateDOB issued foundation and structural permits for elevator shafts and cellar work between January and March 2026, and a revised $8 million renovation amendment was filed on Oct. 23. amNY had reported a fall 2025 opening target, which has passed.
A Year-Round Restaurant
amNY reported a project of about $10 million, roughly a tenth of it city-funded.
Latest UpdateDOB permitted a $1.49 million façade repair in August 2026, and Landmarks amended the building’s permit on Aug. 21. The main renovation application was still listed as approved, not permitted.
Offices for Climate Businesses
YIMBY had reported in 2025 that construction would begin that spring.
Sources: New York YIMBY (Mar. 2025); NYC DOB NOW jobs M01135243-I1 and M01435432-I1 (Aug. 2026)
7
Nolan Park Arts Campus
Nolan Park Arts Campus, via Google Street View. —
Imagery: Google Street View
Developer/ApplicantTrust for Governors Island; Jaklitsch/Gardner Architects
ProjectConversion of 19th-century officers’ houses in Nolan Park into a year-round arts and cultural campus, starting with Buildings 19 and 20 (DOB).
StatusPartly Completed
Latest UpdateDOB issued a certificate of occupancy for Building 20 on Sept. 2, 2026, and Building 19’s $2.5 million conversion has been under permit since June. The Trust sought architects for five more Evans Road buildings, with proposals due in August.
Old Houses, New Uses
The Trust is also seeking partners to reuse the former Army YMCA and Fort Jay Theatre; proposals were due Oct. 26, 2026 (6sqft).
Sources: NYC DOB NOW jobs M01225549-I1 and M00551619-I1 (Sept. 2026); The City Record (June 2026); 6sqft (July 2026)
Randall's & Wards Islands
A wastewater plant upgrade, health care for the city and the state, and a nature center in the park.
8
Wards Island Wastewater Plant Upgrade
The Wards Island wastewater plant, via Google Maps. —
Imagery: Google Maps
Developer/ApplicantNYC Department of Environmental Protection; RJ Industries (construction)
ProjectA conversion of the plant’s nitrogen-removal process to meet state limits for the East River, plus electrical and resiliency work (DEC, DOB).
StatusContract Awarded
Latest UpdateDEP awarded the $71.24 million construction contract to RJ Industries, published June 3, 2026, after awarding an $8.43 million construction-management contract in April (City Record). No report confirms work has started.
Cleaner Water for the East River
The plant serves much of Manhattan’s East Side and the west Bronx.
Developer/ApplicantNYS Office of Mental Health with the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY)
ProjectA planned $160 million, 100-bed state psychiatric hospital, with a 200-bed option under study, on the site of the vacant 16-story Meyer Building, according to a DASNY request for proposals.
StatusPlanned
Latest UpdateDASNY’s October 2025 request for a design consultant says the Meyer Building is being abated and demolished under a state contract due for substantial completion on Oct. 2, 2027, with occupancy of the new hospital targeted for late 2031. A consultant award has not been reported.
More Psychiatric Beds
The RFP says the new building would raise the Wards Island campus to about 500 inpatient beds.
Developer/ApplicantRandall’s Island Park Alliance with NYC Parks; MPFP
ProjectA $6 million renovation of an existing 2,500-square-foot building into a nature center with a timber façade, a green roof and exhibits, home base for the Alliance’s school programs (YIMBY). DOB lists $2.46 million of filed work.
StatusUnder Construction
Latest UpdateThe Alliance broke ground in September 2025 with completion targeted for fall 2026. DOB approved a landscaping amendment on Sept. 30, 2026, while another amendment was still in objections.
A New Base for School Programs
Funding includes a $1.5 million gift from the Champlain Hudson Power Express, the Alliance said.
ProjectReplacement of the walkway on the bridge’s East River span and Queens approach with an accessible shared bike and pedestrian path (MTA).
StatusUnder Construction
Latest UpdateThe MTA said in May 2025 that the contract was awarded in December 2023 and the work would finish by the end of 2027. New paths on the bridge’s Manhattan and Bronx spans were completed by May 2025.
Walking to Queens
When finished, the path would give accessible walking and cycling links between Randall’s Island, Manhattan, the Bronx and Astoria.
Developer/ApplicantNYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (demolition); Statewide Demolition
ProjectDemolition of the decommissioned 1939 steam plant and its two smokestacks under a 2024 DOB order. A non-binding December 2025 City-State-RIOC agreement, published by Roosevelt Islander, contemplates about 400 mixed-income homes on the site afterward; no agency has published a unit figure.
StatusDemolition Prep Under Way
Latest UpdatePre-demolition, oil-tank and abatement work is under issued permits, but the full-demolition application was still not permitted as of its Aug. 31 status. DEP issued an asbestos stop-work order on June 12, 2026 (amNY), and a site-safety violation followed on June 29. Residents filed an Article 78 lawsuit in July challenging the smokestack permit; the outcome of its Sept. 23 return date has not been reported, and Hush Street has not confirmed whether the smokestacks are still standing.
A Disputed Emergency
RIOC describes the demolition as proceeding under an emergency order; preservation advocates and The Roosevelt Island LightHouse dispute that characterization. Community Board 8 voted 37-0 in February 2026 to oppose demolition without review.
Developer/ApplicantCity of New York (NYCEDC and NYC Health + Hospitals), New York State and RIOC
ProjectA possible redevelopment of the NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler nursing-home campus. The non-binding December 2025 agreement, as published by Roosevelt Islander, contemplates about 3 million square feet of mixed-use development with roughly 3,500 mixed-income homes and a replacement facility for Coler’s residents.
StatusProposed
Latest UpdateGovernor Hochul and Mayor Adams announced the planning process and a 10-year extension of the island’s master lease, to 2078, in November 2025. Roosevelt Islander reported in September 2026 that the $4 million community-engagement process had not visibly started and the city had not funded its half.
The Island's Biggest Potential Project
No City Planning or DOB filing exists. RIOC calls the agreement a broad framework to be shaped by the planning study.
Developer/ApplicantGraduate Roosevelt Island Owner LLC (AJ Capital Partners); Cornell University (ground lessor)
ProjectThe island’s only hotel, a 224-room building on the Cornell Tech campus (Cornell Daily Sun; The Architect’s Newspaper reported 196 rooms).
StatusClosed; In Litigation
Latest UpdateThe hotel closed on Nov. 24, 2025. Cornell sued on April 29, 2026 to declare the ground lease terminated, and the hotel owner countersued the next day, saying its lender refused to fund operations (Cornell Daily Sun). No resolution or new operator has been reported.
An Empty Hotel on Campus
The Real Deal reported that the hotel’s lender is seeking to recover $77 million.
Developer/ApplicantRoosevelt Island Operating Corporation
ProjectRepair of a long-closed pier on the west-side promenade: new railings and decking and pile remediation (Roosevelt Islander, citing RIOC).
StatusRepair Planned
Latest UpdateRIOC’s request for contractors closed May 6, 2026. RIOC officials said in July and August that work would begin soon and the pier should reopen by summer 2027. No contract award has been reported.
A Pier Closed for Years
Residents have pressed RIOC over the delay, Roosevelt Islander reported.
The Climate Exchange’s groundbreaking and DOB permits, the Harbor School’s 2027 opening, a designation for Governors Island’s Buildings 324 and 330, the start of work at the Wards Island plant, a ruling in the Steam Plant lawsuit and the start of the Roosevelt Island planning process are next.
