Roosevelt Island pols push Bloomberg to choose their island for graduate science school

From left: City Council member Jessica Lappin, Assembly member Micah Kellner and Roosevelt IslandThough the submission process is over for Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s $100 million towards a new graduate science school, the lobbying process has just begun. Roosevelt Islander blog reported that City Council member Jessica Lappin and Assembly member Micah Kellner joined Roosevelt Island advocates at a press conference yesterday on the steps of City Hall pleading for Bloomberg to select a proposal that would build the campus on Roosevelt Island.

“I want Roosevelt Island to become Silicon Island,” Lappin said. She directed supporters to voice their support for Roosevelt Island on specified Economic Development Corporation social media outlets.

Of the seven entries for the $100 million and land grant, only the ones submitted by Stanford and Cornell universities call for building on Roosevelt Island.

“The island is accessible by train and tram, has housing, world-class parks, and other great amenities. It’s the perfect fit for any world-class university and a logical place to put this project,” Lappin said.

Bloomberg’s press office did not immediately respond to The Real Deal’s request for comment or reaction to Lappin’s press conference.

But Roosevelt Islander noted that influential technology writers, including famed venture capitalist Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures, don’t believe Roosevelt Island is a viable site if the city is looking to recreate the Bay Area’s Silicon Valley.

“The location on Roosevelt Island is idiotic,” Wilson wrote on his blog. “It will be isolated and marginalized.” He believes Downtown Brooklyn, the site of the school proposed by a consortium of schools led by New York University, is a better choice, as it is a more accessible and more coveted living area for young people. [RooseveltIslander]