Council wants Staten Island Ferris wheel without mall

The City Council is brainstorming for a way to approve a proposed gargantuan Ferris wheel on Staten Island without including the 125-store Empire Outlets mall developer BFC Partners wants to build next to the wheel.

The two projects are currently linked in the approval process, and a vote is set for October 30. But Council members are looking to shelve the outlet mall plans, NY1 reported.

The plan to nix the outlet mall stems from BFC’s stance on union labor, sources told NY 1. BFC agreed to use unionized labor only for part of the job, though union leaders have pressed officials to mandate organized labor for the entire project.

“Efforts to deprive Staten Islanders of this transformative opportunity would be an irreversible blow to the entire borough,” a spokesperson for BFC told NY1.

City Council member Debi Rose, whose support is key for the project’s viability, according to NY1,  told the station she “continues to negotiate the best possible deal for Staten Island.” [NY1]  – Hiten Samtani