City Council Gives Green Light for Pier 57

The city council has unanimously approved a proposal by Young Woo & Associates (YWA) for the redevelopment of Pier 57. The special zoning permit gives them the green light to construct a 170,000 square-foot marketplace made from converted shipping containers called incuboxes. The incuboxes, which measure 160 square feet, are intended to be rented out to retailers for roughly $3,000 a month. Larger spaces ranging from 3,000 to 20,000 square feet will also be up for rent. While leasing for the spaces will begin this fall, applications can be sent in now.

On the rooftop, a public park is planned that will cover 100,000 square feet or more. The Tribeca Film Festival (TTF) has already planned a permanent outdoor venue to be part of the park. TTF will offer films and music events as well as art programs. The ground floor will contain a 90,000 square-foot Contemporary Culture Center which will include a large entertainment space for hosting auctions, exhibitions, and galleries. 

YWA aims to begin construction in October and calls the future of Pier 57 an “innovative hub of culture, recreation and public market activity, all located within a restored historic structure.” Hudson River Park Trust president and CEO, Madelyn Wils, stated that “Today’s approval brings us one step closer to transforming Pier 57 into a recreational, cultural and retail center that will provide yet another great destination for the Hudson River Park community.”

The pier, located at 15th street and the Hudson River, was built in 1952 on floating concrete caissons. In the past, it was used as an ocean liner dock, as a depot for the New York City Transit Authority, and as a detention center in 2004, when approximately 1,200 anti-RNC protesters were detained there. Ever since, the Pier has been practically unused.