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The Todd Shipyard Drydock is now the Ikea parking lot. Photo courtesy Nathan Kensinger.
Due to an expected increase in shipping through the Port of New York, the city is lacking the necessary number of dry-docks to service barges in need of maintenance, according to a recently released study by the SUNY Maritime College. The findings were announced by the city's Economic Development Corp. just as the new IKEA in Red Hook opened. The parking lot at IKEA was controversially built over one of the city’s last remaining “graving docks,” which can accommodate larger ships.
Lisa Kersavage of the Municipal Art Society [MAS] told the Post, “I knew it was a big mistake for the city to allow IKEA to take the graving dock, but I didn't realize just how big of a mistake it was until I saw the report.” The study estimates that New York will lose $50 million to $150 million in revenues to competitive ports over the next five years because it does not have enough docks. There are currently 18 in use, including four graving docks; the report urges the city to build seven more to accommodate the maritime support industry, which generates some $2.0-$2.5 billion in economic activity.
John McGettrick, co-chair of the Red Hook Civic Alliance, called the agreement to let IKEA build a parking lot where the dry dock was a "billion-dollar boondoggle." His group is partnering with the MAS in pressing the city to take back the graving dock from IKEA, saying it would be “less costly and time-consuming than finding another location,” according to the Post.
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Has there been any cost-benefit analysis of what sort of taxes Ikea will generate, additional business nearby stores will generate, or if this will stimulate that specific region?
Seems as though developing that area may outweigh 50M dollars in 'revenue'.
What's to account for the increase in shipping to the Port of NY? Does this include all ports under the Port Authority (increase in shipping to just NY or to ports in Elizabeth and Bayonne too)?
Is it just me or are these groups just latching onto anything that reinforces their view that the IKEA was a bad idea? Is the MAS or Red Hook Civic Alliance usually concerned with shipping traffic? Certainly doesn't seem like it, based on their websites.
Maybe the city shouldnt have forced the shipping industry to Brooklyn and kept some of the docks along the Manhattan shore in use instead of letting them fall into disrepair.
Gothamist: Due to an unexpected increase in shipping through the Port of New York, the city now lacks the necessary number of dry-docks...
The report press release: Based on the expected increase in port activities in New York Harbor, the study found that it is likely that additional dry-dock capacity will be needed...
What do you need a dry dock in RH? it will create heavy traffic (trucks and stuff) and ruin the neighborhood...
I'm curious to know when was the last time these docks were used...
Maybe the city shouldnt have forced the shipping industry to Brooklyn and kept some of the docks along the Manhattan shore in use instead of letting them fall into disrepair.
The worldwide switch to containerized shipping, which began in the early 1960's, pretty much doomed the Manhattan docks. Container docks require large amounts of landside storage space that's not available in Manhattan. Manhattan also lacks on-pier rail capacity for container-on-flat car trains. Brooklyn lacks that too, which is part of the reason why its docks are relatively underused.
While we're at it, let's in-fill the entire NY harbor. It's not like it's of any strategic importance.
It's been years since the graving dock in RH was used, but now that Ikea has taken over it's a "billion dollar boondoggle." Judging from the crammed MTA buses and shuttle buses driving through my neighborhood all weekend, Ikea will make more than enough revenue for the City.
This is more a question of long term strategic planning. While shipping in the harbor is near an all time high, the increased cost of waterfront property has made it too expensive for much of the maritime service industry to operate. While the immediate impact of this is small, longterm it could lead to a significant decline in shipping through the harbor, at a cost of billions to the local economy. Whether or not this will be offset by a permanent shift to commercial and residential waterfront development will remain to be seen.
Shipping is the industry that New York was built on and the loss of this backbone may have effects that we cannot estimate today. The shipping industry has been a historically resilient cornerstone (with fluctuations and evolutions of course) since the opening of the Eerie Canal, almost two hundred years. Will new development provide that type of stability?
http://workingharbor.com/home.html
Read further in the Post today where Ikea refuses to say how many Red Hook locals are employed there.
They won't even tell the numbers to that idiot, Marty Marcus, Bklyn Boro Pres, a big booster of this project. "It's like a Swedish State Secret" the Post reports
That's because there are NO locals employed. Promises turned to lies.
Watch the Atlantic Yards!
Remember how all the morons - Marcus, "Rev." Daughtry and other minority hustlers - whored themselves out to Ratner, claiming locals would be hired
Once bitten, twice shy. Caveat Emptor.
This story smells worse than the transfer station they were going to put in RH.
If we were going to go back 5 years and deny the land to IKEA and give it to a shipbuilder, do you think that they would keep the civil war era-buildings, build a park, and employ some Red-Hookers? At least with IKEA, we got two out of three.
John McGettrick has no vision, no sense, and nothing ever good to say. The sooner we quit thinking about him as a voice for us RHers, the better.
"Read further in the Post today where Ikea refuses to say how many Red Hook locals are employed there."
Good. Companies shouldn't put up with this political blackmail. No matter what the number is, it's not going to be high enough for some people.
GM,#12, just what have you done for your community recently, besides whine on Gothamist?
Btw, I don't live anywhere near Red Hook, have no inherent interest in this project and don't know McGettrick.
But I am curious when I read an anonymous blogger bad mouth a hard-working community activist for no good reason.
Are you a do-er or a whiner? Give us YOUR resumé of activism or accomplishment for RH!!
There's already an old Drydock Savings Bank in my neighborhood. How many more do we need?
Ikea was a good idea. You know why? Cuase I just got me a bookcase for 90 bucks and I didn't have to drive 35 minutes to jersey and pay 12 bucks in tolls.
#16
But you spent an additional 2 hours assembly a cheap piece of junk that will fall apart in four years.
And if you pay $12 in tolls you got robbed, because tolls are only $6. Duh!!
#17:
Rebuking babyhitler and his special brand of "humor": good.
Doing so inaccurately and with questionable reasoning: bad.
hmm... I've assembled most of the ikea furniture I have in less than 30 mins (not 1 hr, and definitely NOT 2 hrs.), and I've had them for more than four years... maybe you're not doing something right....
I've never assembled furniture in under 30 minutes. But, I know I'm doing it better than you because I always have so many extra parts left over.
"most" of the ikea furniture?
That qualification is important.
I'm sorry. The stuff I got from Ikea was junk. Looks nice, but wobbly. Good for four years of college dormitory life.
And a bed took took two hours to assemble.
Then I bought my B&B Italia stuff, and that has lasted 25 years and still looks great.
You get what you pay for.
#18, what's inaccurate?
You mean, you also pay $12 for the NJ toll?
Rather hapless of you, isn't it?