City In Talks To Relocate NYPD's West Side Tow Lot, Report Says

HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — The New York City Police Department is in talks with city officials to replace its massive tow pound on the Hell's Kitchen waterfront with parkland, according to reports.

The tow lot property — which occupies more than 230,000 square feet of prime waterfront real estate on Pier 76 off West 38th Street — may be ceded to Hudson River Park to add four acres to the west side green space, THE CITY first reported. There's no official deal in place, but an NYPD spokeswoman confirm with THE CITY that the department is looking to relocate the lot.

City Council Speaker Corey Johnson launched a study in February to determine the best future uses for a number of NYPD facilities, including Hell's Kitchen's tow pound, THE CITY reported. The study is ongoing, but a recent presentation indicates the NYPD could replace the tow pound with smaller facilities scattered throughout Manhattan.

When the city opened the tow pound on the Hudson River in the 1970s, the waterfront was a very different place. Now, the area is considered prime real estate and ripe for development. If Pier 76 is given to the Hudson River Park Trust, a city and state partnership, half of the land could be used for private development, THE CITY reported.

Read the full THE CITY report here.