Hudson River Park Waterfront from Heliport to Intrepid to be Transformed with $65 Million Redesign

Hudson River Park Trust (HRPK) plans to develop a 17-block strip, stretching from the W30th Street Heliport to the Intrepid Museum. To begin the process, they have hired Marvel Designs , a multidisciplinary architecture firm with experience developing waterfront parks across New York City.

HRPK President and CEO Noreen Doyle said at a Manhattan Community Board 4 (MCB4) meeting earlier this month that the Trust has $65 million set aside to develop this portion of the park. She said the funds come from New York State, New York City, and the sale of development rights.

Up until now, the landscape in Hudson River Park between W29th and W46th Streets that bridges Hudson Yards and Hell’s Kitchen has appeared desolate, with largely undeveloped walkways broken up by the occasional tree and flower in a planter.

The area between the heliport and Intrepid currently incorporates the HRPK compost and ops facility, temporary Pickleball courts , the Classic Car Club (who are moving) , Pier 76 which will be redeveloped , a privately owned tourist center at Pier 78 , the MidtownFerry Terminal , The Circle Line and Pier 84 .

The timeline is still “up in the air,” senior project manager Tom Adams said at the meeting. “We’re not coming to you with a lot of certainty and answers, we’re here to introduce the team,” Adams said. In the park’s development, Marvel’s goal is to ensure “there is a continuous park experience overall,” said associate JS Yong.

The redesign will occupy the area west of the bike path, excluding the piers themselves. The bike path itself would require state and city Department of Transportation approvals to redesign, Doyle said.

From south to north, this area of the park has many uses — from a heliport to a compost maintenance facility to ferry terminals. Some of the area, such as the park’s maintenance facility, is made up of overgrown vegetation and what appear to be two abandoned security kiosks.

Moving north, just before hitting Pier 76, is a short strip of naturally-occurring shoreline, home to a rocky beach at times inhabited by Canada geese. The area presents “a very good opportunity for you to get really close to the water, and continue that experience of a riverfront park,” Yong said. Next to it is also a small, temporary space with four pickleball courts .

Separate plans are in the works to rebuild Pier 76 , a former NYPD tow pound. Before development can start, it will require $150 million to repair rotting piles, but the area in front of it could be included in the trust’s current plans.

Pier 78, a relatively small landing compared to its neighbors, is the only privately owned pier in the entire park. Since some of the redevelopment area includes the space in front of it, the Trust will have to coordinate with them and numerous other governmental and community stakeholders.

At the area in front of the Midtown Ferry Terminal, the fumes from the heliport are replaced by fumes from shuttle buses bringing commuters to-and-from their boat rides to New Jersey. Jeffrey LeFrancois, when Chair of Hudson River Park’s Advisory Council, took issue with bus parking in front of the pier , which is designated as parkland, saying that the area is “starved for public open space.”

At the northern end of the waterfront from Piers 81 to 84 (roughly W40th to W44th Streets), the pathway opens up and offers the greatest potential to be redesigned, Yong said. That area is currently mostly open concrete.

While the large water fountain at Pier 84 will remain, the smaller water feature area near the dog run will be redeveloped into something more usable for park-goers.

Marvel and the Trust will return to MCB4 in the fall to begin discussions of how to redevelop the northern portion of the 17-block-long area, Adams said. “We want to be able to move things that we think are on a faster track further into design, and not hold things up while we’re waiting for approvals,” he said.

MCB4 Waterfront, Parks & Environment Committee co-chair Leslie Boghosian Murphy told W42ST she’s excited for the redesign. “This is the fun part,” she said. “This redesign will help allow every square foot up and down the waterfront is being optimally used and ultimately provide a better park experience.”

At the MCB4 meeting, Murphy added there’s “a lot of opportunities for art” along this stretch, including murals and temporary installations along walls and fences.

Community members also weighed in with their thoughts. “Marvel us with some green technology, Marvel us with some windmills, some solar, some platforms that produce power, please,” said committee member Brad Pascarella, riffing on the design team’s name.

Allen Oster, another MCB4 member, said he would like to see more educational opportunities for youth along this stretch of the park. “There’s nothing in Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen that gives kids the opportunity to get their hands dirty and learn about conservation,” he said, referencing the ecologically-themed Pier 26 in Tribeca.

Davis Janowski, a kayak instructor at Pier 84 who frequents the park, told W42ST he would like to see “shade, at least some trees, seating,” in the area directly south of the pier. “Perhaps allow food trucks,” he added. “There is a lot of potential.” He would also like to see more public outdoor areas at the ferry terminal. The upstairs section, which used to be open, is currently chained off.

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