New LIC Ferry Dock Would Block Precious Park Views, Conservancy Says

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — A plan to relocate an NYC Ferry dock to a new location in Hunter's Point South Park is being blasted by the park's stewards, who say it would compromise treasured views of the East River and Manhattan skyline.

The plan would demolish the existing ferry dock, tucked behind the park's promenade near 54th Avenue, and construct a new landing about 100 feet north, jutting into the river from the promenade near the oval sports field and the outdoor dining area home to Frank Ottomanelli's.

Plans for the project were filed last month with the Army Corps of Engineers by the city's Economic Development Corporation, which runs the ferry system. But the Hunters Point Parks Conservancy has come out against it, saying this week that it was proposed with no community input and would obstruct the park's "most popular" viewpoint.

"Hunter's Point South Park is a jewel designed to welcome people to the waterfront, and that should not be compromised," the Conservancy said in a statement, saying the future ferry site hosts film and wedding-photo shoots, and a VIP section for the annual July 4th fireworks show.

The new dock would consist of a 35-by-90-foot floating barge, connected to the land by two 65-foot-long gangways. If two boats docked there at the same time, the whole apparatus would be about 262 feet long, spanning the park's entire picnic area.

Costing $12.2 million, the new dock would replace an existing landing that "is reaching the end of its useful life," EDC spokesperson Jeff Holmes said. Construction would begin in the fall of 2023 and wrap up later that year.

EDC defended its outreach, saying it had presented plans to Community Board 2 and to Council Member Julie Won as well as her predecessor, Jimmy Van Bramer. Choosing a new location is difficult, since Amtrak train lines and the Queens-Midtown Tunnel both run beneath the park, Holmes said.

"The proposed location, chosen in close coordination with the NYC Parks Department, will allow a new landing to be constructed safely, and offer a landing to the community that allows for the docking of 350-passenger vessels and will be fully ADA compliant," Holmes said.

The ferry fracas was first reported by QNS and the Queens Post.

Besides the views and lack of input, the Conservancy also raised fears about noise pollution — ferries sound their horns each time they disembark — and the potential for long passenger lines to form outside the new dock, as they already do at the existing one.

A separate "landing platform" linking the gangway to the shore might also require moving existing seating on the promenade, which is "popular even on chilly fall afternoons," the Conservancy says.

Following the pushback, EDC says it plans to meet with the Hunters Point Parks Conservancy later this week to discuss the dock plan. After the Parks Department signs off on it, a near-final plan will be presented to Community Board 2 this winter.

The Conservancy, meanwhile, is urging residents to write with concerns to Robert.T.Vietri@usace.army.mil, where the Army Corps will accept feedback until Nov. 18.