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Tonight, there's a public meeting and hearing to discuss what will happen with Pier 40 on the Hudson River. The plan on the table is a $626 million proposal called "Pier 40 Performing Arts Center," which includes a Cirque du Soleil performance space, a 12-screen movie theater, a banquet hall and much more. Detractors call it "Las Vegas on the Hudson," and this has set up what the Times calls a "potential showdown between residents of one of the city’s most activist neighborhoods and Related, one of the city’s most politically connected developers."
“I think every strata of the neighborhood is opposed to this: the old guard, who has sought to retain the area’s character, the newcomers who live in the new buildings, the sports leagues who want more recreation space,” said Andrew Berman, the executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. “There aren’t many things they all agree on, but this is one.”The Tribeca Film Festival over a mile from Tribeca? Though the TFF does show films all over the place, you'd imagine the TFF would want to keep its Tribeca heart.But Joanna Rose, a spokeswoman for the Related Companies, said the plan would increase the amount of park space and could avoid creating traffic problems that would spill into the rest of the neighborhood.
“This plan could be a real win for New York and a true amenity to life downtown,” Ms. Rose said in a statement. “It increases the amount of space available for recreation by over 40 percent, while offering tremendous access to the waterfront, over five acres of passive open green spaces and vibrant cultural amenities, including a home for the Tribeca Film Festival.”
The meeting is at 7PM, PS 41 at West 11th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. Here's the Hudson River Park Trust on Pier 40, which has PDFs of proposals. And here's a Save Pier 40 site.
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Now that industry has abandoned the waterfront, cultural institutions are trying to take it over and keep it from what it was meant to be - a place of recreation.
I think it's brilliant... only a developer could f*** up the park, the bikepath, the neighborhood, the Greenwich Village Little League, and the Tribeca Film Festival in one fell swoop. Talk about efficiency.
I don't recall the TFF saying they needed a new home, thanks.
And that artist's rendition certainly doesn't aid the cause.
What a nightmare! If we can stop the stadium maybe we can stop this, too. Now that the Huson River Park is becoming such a great place they want to completely wreck it with this??!! Hmmm...ya think the Evill Dan Doctoroff has something to do with it? Gawd, I hate that guy.
you know, i'm not saying this project would be good or bad, but generally we've gotten to the point where community groups have way to much say in things. Nothing can get done in NYC because there will always be someone to complain about it, or some special interest that doest want competition, or some kooks complaining about affordable housing, etc. At least we had a period of time when things like the empire state, chrysler, brooklyn bridge, etc were built, because we sure as hell are incapable of such things now. it was one thing when we were losing treasure in the 50's like old mansions, penn station, singer building, etc, but now we cant even redevelop long unused industrial areas, toxic sites and rail yards... its no wonder nyc is being over taken by other cities in many areas.
Hey Keepitgreen, why don't you keep it green in Iowa. Pier 40 is a post war eyesore. Something needs to be done with it.
As if the rest of nyc isn't an amusement park enough? Keep the goddamn tourists and gawkers in midtown and downtown broadway please. Turn the few places that aren't developed yet into relative solitude.
It looks exactly like navy pier in chicago. People who live here never go there but it is a HUGE tourist attraction. Nothing wrong with that in my opinion. Also they have an imax at Navy Pier that is kickass.
its a shame someone brought up the stadium.... because alas we are left with an empty whole yet again as its been for the last 100 years and interest seems to have disappeared... what happened with the garden guys who had all these plans that fools believed in for housing when in reality they just wanted to retain the monopoly to overcharge people ... plans have mysteriously disappeared. we could have had an arena that was used at most 8 times per year for football and the rest of the time used as an extension to the javits center, with a large chunk paid by private money instead of our taxes. i find it funny we had so many nimbys in an almost completely non residential area.... well that and shelly silver blocking all projects in the city that aren't downtown.
#'s 4, 5, 8: Fair points. Something could/should be done with Pier 40.
Just (dear God) not this...
And while they have their faults (shortsightedness, stubborness, the occasional strain of elitism) without the neighborhood groups you would be knocking down the horrific projects Robert Moses wanted to build 40 years ago and replacing them with similarly soulless, look-alike structures that would only be different in their pricetab (and maybe the amount of glass used). It would be open season on every structure in NYC.
And there have been too many decisions made in this town favoring tourists, visitors, and the like over the people who LIVE and pay taxes here. Times Square is already lost to us, it looks like downtown is going the same way, now the Hudson River Park?
If the community groups can draw the line here and maybe turn this tide, then more power to them.
SAVE THE SOCCER!! I CANT EXPLAIN HOW NICE THIS PLACE IS FOR THE FUTBOL COMMUNITY.
“It increases the amount of space available for recreation by over 40 percent, while offering tremendous access to the waterfront, over five acres of passive open green spaces and vibrant cultural amenities, including a home for the Tribeca Film Festival.”
40% more recreation space?? home for the Tribeca Film Fest? on the west side? Come on. Seriously who is this lady to tell New York what to do with Pier 40. Don't 'buy it'
The Hudson River "Park" is a joke. New York might as well be in the desert for all the use we get out of the waterfront compared to other cities. A strip of asphalt along a highway is not a park, nor a re few shrubs thrown in to make it look green.
And I love the names of these groups: Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation? Code for "We got here first, stay the fuck out."
Pier 40 is used by endless amounts of athletes of all ages. Softball, baseball, soccer, rugby - you name it. Where do all these clubs go? Sporting and athletic programs are so key to the health and vibrancy of the people of NY. Randalls can't fullfill this need anymore.
It's also worth noting that several of the West Village's "activists" and artists sold out during the real estate boom and used the "free market" excuse for selling out.
I think both proposals suck. There needs to be a happy medium between revenue producing entitities that would help fix the dilapidated pier once and for all, and free, public amenities which the neighborhoods so desperately need.
I think Related goes way too far with their retail aims (Cirque, 6 restaurants, etc.) and People's Pier focuses on a narrow demographic and is potentially financially untenable to boot.
They both made good cases for themselves last evening, but there are many, many questions left unanswered on both sides.
Look, I don't want more tourists and traffic in this neighborhood, but unfortunately the Hudson River Park Act states that the park needs to be self-sustaining through revenue generating streams. People's Pier barely comes close to fixing the pier, let alone creating enough revenue. Related goes waaay to far the other way and threatens to become another Southstreet Seaport.
I hope in the coming months with the appointment of the governor's new people to the executive board of the Hudson River Park Trust, that cooler minds prevail and we get something that everyone in the neighborhood can live with (little leaguer, car parker, single or childless people, elderly, LGBT youth, etc.). We can't just focus on one group and make them happy (Hello!Real Estate speculators!).