The New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. today released the following statement after voting “yes” on a resolution to authorize the Department of Parks and Recreation to negotiate with the Randall’s Island Sports Foundation and independent schools regarding the use of sports fields on Randall’s Island:

“I have been and continue to be a strong supporter of the development of sports fields on Randall’s Island. When the City first proposed the deal, my office worked to gain important changes, increasing access to fields by public schools and seeking better transportation options to reach the Island.

However, despite my vote today, I continue to have significant concerns with the City’s proposal, and have indicated to the Administration that those concerns must be addressed before I support the ultimate agreement. 

Chief among my concerns is the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) issues that have been raised. ULURP is ultimately about community input; therefore, I expect the City and the Sports Foundation to work very closely with the community to craft any proposed deal to ensure that the community’s needs are considered and appropriately addressed. 

I also still have concerns regarding the fair allocation of the fields after school hours and will carefully review the eventual agreement to ensure that the allocation is fair to all parties.

Lastly, convenient and affordable access to the Island continues to be a critical issue. The City must strengthen its efforts to improve access to the Island. In this regard, I support Manhattan Borough President Stringer’s 20/20 proposal as a means to promote use of the fields by public schools.”