Dock to be located on the East River next to the Schaefer Landing luxury building. The Planning Commission unanimously approved an application by the Department of Parks and Recreation for the construction of a water taxi dock in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The dock is to be located on the East River adjacent to the waterfront esplanade of the Schaefer Landing luxury apartment building, west of Kent Avenue between South 8th and South 11th Streets.

The floating 600 square-foot dock and 36-foot long gangway required a special permit to allow its construction in an R7-3 residential district. The dock will be moored to four steel piles anchored in the East River bed, and the operation will not require a ticket booth or other structure on the waterfront esplanade. The Economic Development Corporation will be responsible for construction and the developers of Schaefer Landing will maintain the dock under an agreement with Parks. The water taxi itself is expected to provide transportation to and from Lower Manhattan for up to 100 passengers per trip. Currently, New York Water Taxi operates 13 different routes and 13 docks throughout the New York metropolitan area, including eight docks in Manhattan at: West 44th, West 23rd and East 34th Streets; Greenwich Village, the World Financial Center, Battery Park, Wall Street and South Street Seaport. New York Water Taxi currently lists fares for a one-way trip as between $4 to $6. (more…)

Council cited economic and infrastructure improvements. On October 13, 2004,’ the Council approved the development of a 346,000 sq.ft. Ikea furniture store on the 22-acre waterfront of Red Hook, Brooklyn, by a vote of 50 to 1. The development includes a 6.3-acre esplanade/bikeway and an additional 70,000 sq.ft. of restaurant and retail space. Ikea forecasts that the project will create 500-600 jobs and potential employment for Red Hook residents.

Red Hook Council Member Sara Gonzalez spearheaded the Council’s effort to pass the resolution, arguing that Ikea will revitalize the community and spur economic growth. Council Member Charles Barron, representing a neighboring Brooklyn district, was the only member to vote in opposition to the project, stating that Ikea would not solve the community’s problems because there were no guarantees that it would significantly increase employment or share profits with the community. (more…)