City Council Green-Lights Modifications For Staten Island Ferris Wheel Plan
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The City Council has approved modifications for the giant Ferris wheel planned for Staten Island.
The 60-story New York Wheel in St. George, Staten Island would be the tallest in the world. On Thursday, the City Council approved recommended changes to the product, according to a news release from New York Wheel.
The revisions focused largely on a 950-unit parking garage adjacent to the wheel, which had to be configured to allow for natural rather than mechanical ventilation and create more self-parking, the release said.
"We are grateful to Council Member Debi Rose for her leadership, as well as our other vital community partners who include Staten Island Borough President Jimmy Oddo, Staten Island Community Board 1 and the Department of City Planning in helping us find the optimal changes to enhance the project. This approval today will ensure that construction will continue as scheduled," New York Wheel President and Chief Executive Officer Rich Marin said in a news release.
The New York City's Planning Commission and the City Council approved the plan in 2013 for the 625-foot Ferris wheel, which is expected to have views of the Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor and the Manhattan skyline.
The "High Roller" in Las Vegas currently holds the title of the world's tallest. At 550 feet, it is 9 feet taller than its closest competitor, the Singapore Flyer, and 100 feet taller than the London Eye.
The original Ferris wheel, at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, was 264 feet tall. A 150-foot tall replica Ferris wheel stood at Chicago's Navy Pier for 20 years, until it was taken down this year to make way for a new Ferris wheel standing 50 feet taller.
New York City officials have said the Staten Island wheel will create 2,000 jobs and draw millions of visitors each year.
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