Governors Island, a 172-acre island in New York Harbor and former U.S. Coast Guard base, was vacated in 1996. HR&A, with assistance from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, developed the first comprehensive economic model, land use plan, and development strategy for the Island's re-use. HR&A's reuse plan was the basis for the island's 2003 sale back to the City of New York, a disposition process led, by HR&A, on behalf of the City and State of New York. Following this work on the original master plan, HR&A recently led a team of consultants in providing development advisory services to the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC) in the planning and redevelopment of Governors Island. This redevelopment will include the preservation and adaptive re-use of existing historic structures and the creation of new commercial, educational, recreational, tourist, and infrastructure improvements together with new waterfront and public open space development.