Manhattan’s Pier 76 may soon look very different
Manhattan piers have undergone some major glow-ups in recent years.
There’s the new park underway at Pier 97 in Hell’s Kitchen and the fresh energy at Pier 17 in the Seaport, to name a few. But Pier 76 in Hudson River Park near Hudson Yards has remained an undeveloped pavement plot with just a few planters and benches.
With new legislation recently signed by Governor Kathy Hochul, Pier 76 could undergo development that is at least 50 percent park land. The law would allow amusement rides and tourist attractions, as well as facilities for waterborne transportation activities and floating restaurants at Pier 76.
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Other components in the law would remove limitations on offshore barges and allow commercial development in certain areas. Plus, the law could create a process to move the helipad currently located on West 30th Street if the Hudson River Park Trust initiates a request for proposals for the heliport site; this comes amid soaring citywide complaints about helicopter noise. Officials have not laid out a timeline or implementation plan at this point.
No matter what changes, it’s all intended to create high quality public open space and revenue-generation that helps support the overall care and maintenance of Hudson River Park. Pier 76 faces up to $150 million in repair and reconstruction costs that must be faced in the near future to avoid the complete removal of the pier for any public use, per the legislation.
The new will create “a new green space for the West Side community,” State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal said in a statement. Hoylman-Sigal sponsored the bill along with assemblymember Tony Simone.
The new vision of Pier 76 is one of a green space for the entire community to enjoy.
“(The legislation) charts a path forward to free up parkland that has been compromised for decades by the presence of the helipad. The new vision of Pier 76 is one of a green space for the entire community to enjoy, while simultaneously providing the revenue needed to bring the pier to the beautiful standard that New York City is accustomed to,” Hoylman-Sigal added.
Though the plans are ambitious, the pier has a history of incredible transformation. The 245,000-square foot pier was converted from a tow pound to open public space in only 81 days back in 2021.
Since then, it’s become a haven for skateboarders, rollerbladers and cyclists. Bike New York even hosts classes at the flat, open space. A group of skaters created an online petition asking to keep a space for skating in the redevelopment plans.
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As they write, “In addition to it being a setting where we can safely practice our art and sport, Pier 76 has organically become a place of community for us. It has become the go-to spot for meetups and rollouts, for lessons and dancing. It is no exaggeration to say this pier, in its current state, has become a sacred place for skaters.”
The pier’s large surface currently includes outdoor flexible space, benches for people to relax, waterfront views and interpretive plaques about the history of the area. The pier also features a propeller from the S.S. United States passenger liner, famous as the record holder for the fastest passenger ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean.