NYPD To Vacate Hell's Kitchen Tow Pound, City Says

HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — The NYPD will pack up and leave its tow pound on Pier 76 by the end of January, city officials said Thursday, marking a major step forward in a battle with the state over the space.

For more than 20 years, the law that created Hudson River Park has required the city to "use best efforts" to relocate the unsightly tow pound, where generations of New Yorkers have trudged to retrieve their cars, to make way for an open space.

The state upped the pressure this spring when it passed a budget provision requiring the city to push the NYPD out of the pier by Dec. 31 — or else pay millions in fines.

"Today, we are pleased to report that we will begin the process of vacating the Manhattan Tow Pound at Pier 76 immediately, and we expect to have completely vacated the site by the end of January," Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan told state officials in a letter, which was shared with Patch.

It was not immediately clear where the tow pound would move after leaving Pier 76, which stretches into the Hudson River between West 36th and 37th streets. In November, Gotham Gazette reported that the city had found a parking lot on West 45th Street that might serve as the tow pound's new home.

Earlier this fall, members of Hell's Kitchen's Community Board 4 got a tantalizing sense of what the future outdoor space on Pier 76 could look like in the post-pound era. Presenters from the Hudson River Park Trust outlined a number of interim uses for an empty pier during the Nov. 12 meeting, saying it could host outdoor concerts, food festivals, public art, dancing lessons, roller rinks and more.

The pier is 725 feet long and 300 feet wide — larger than a typical city block. The 250,000-square-foot space would be among the largest of Hudson River Park's network of waterfront open spaces.

"The need here is incredible," said Lisa Switkin, an architect from the firm Field Operations, referring to the "dearth of open space" in the surrounding neighborhood.

Once construction begins on a permanent transformation of the pier, the park trust plans to lease out part of the property for private use, including a possible office building, in order to raise revenue for annual upkeep.

"I’m pleased the City is finally moving ahead on its decades-old promise to vacate the Manhattan Tow Pound off Pier 76," City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, whose district includes the pier, told Patch in a statement.

"This relocation has been a top priority of mine since taking office, and I’m grateful to all the patient advocates and community members who pushed for this move to happen so that the area could be revitalized into a new public space for all New Yorkers to enjoy."

I’ve always advocated for removal of the Manhattan Tow Pound because the site should be used for park space. Now we have an agreement between Mayor & Governor. The site is being vacated to other parks of the city but I am not happy about how @DistCouncil37 workers were pic.twitter.com/jEAtnI2yrF
— Gale A. Brewer (@galeabrewer) December 31, 2020

Related coverage:

• What Does The Future Hold For Hell's Kitchen's Pier 76?
  
• Midtown Tow Pound To Close By End Of 2020, Gov Says
• City In Talks To Relocate NYPD's West Side Tow Lot, Report Says