Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) is a public-benefit corporation responsible for developing Roosevelt Island, a small strip of land in the East River, part of the borough of Manhattan.

Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation was created by New York State in 1984 to manage development and operations of Roosevelt Island. Before RIOC there existed other state agencies which ran the island's day-to-day operations such as the Welfare Island Development Corporation and later the Roosevelt Island Development Corporation. The first RIOC Board and President were appointed by the Governor in 1986.

The New York State Urban Development Corporation (UDC) operated New York City’s Welfare Island, as Roosevelt Island was previously known, prior to RIOC. Development of the island was based on the principles of urban "new communities" under President Lyndon Johnson’s "Great Society" programs of the 1960s and early 1970s, and development of the "new" community there was authorized by the 99-year ground lease and accompanying General Development Plan (GDP) agreed upon by New York City and New York State in 1969. The NY State GDP, which has been amended from time to time, provides for the development of housing, shops and community facilities for a mixed-income, handicap-accessible residential neighborhood.

Roosevelt Island requires specialized operations and infrastructure maintenance such as the aerial tramway, an on-island bus system, an underground pneumatic tube garbage collection system, and seawall improvements. Basic services such as MTA stops on the subway and bus routes and water and sewage input and output are provided by the City of New York, while RIOC supplements these services with its own specialized operations, infrastructure, and capital improvements.

Today, the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation manages a mixed-income community of between 12,000 and 14,000 residents featuring numerous parks and greenspaces, recreational facilities, and six city-designated landmark buildings. The waterfront promenade circling the island provides panoramic views of New York City icons such as the United Nations, the Empire State building, the Chrysler building, the Queensboro Bridge, and the landmarked Pepsi Cola sign in Queens.