Leslie Koch

Leslie Koch, president of The Trust for Governors Island, is responsible for the planning, redevelopment, and operation of 150 acres of Governors Island. Located 800 yards off the southern tip of Manhattan, the island is the newest addition to New York City’s real estate portfolio.

Koch, a native New Yorker, draws from her experience in both the private and public sectors in managing the island. After receiving a master’s degree in Public and Private Management from Yale University, she initially worked as a marketing executive for Microsoft. She then worked as CEO of the Fund for Public Schools where her leadership helped secure nearly $160 million of public and private funding for City education-related initiatives.

In 2003, the federal government sold the entire 172-acre island, except for the 22-acre national monument on the island’s northern side, to the people of New York State for one dollar. The Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC) was formed as a City/State partnership to take over the day-to-day operations on the island. GIPEC was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Empire State Development Corporation. In April 2006, Governor George Pataki and Mayor Michael Bloomberg formally named Koch as president of GIPEC, citing her strong track record in successful public/private partnerships. (more…)

Ikea to build a 346,000-square-foot waterfront store in Red Hook. The City Planning Commission approved an application by Ikea Property, Inc., for the development of a 346,000-square-foot furniture store and three ancillary buildings on a 22-acre site along the Red Hook, Brooklyn waterfront. The store, Ikea’s first in New York City, will be its largest store in the United States. The Commission also approved 70,000 sq.ft. of retail and restaurant space and a 6.3-acre public esplanade/bikeway.

Red Hook is primarily zoned M3-1 for heavy manufacturing. Recently, the neighborhood has begun a slow revitalization with the opening of the Community Justice Center in 2000 and with increasing private renovations to its residential and neighborhood retail buildings. (more…)