West Side's New Pier 76 Park To Open This Summer, Cuomo Says

HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — The new open space on Pier 76 may open as soon as June once the former NYPD tow pound has been demolished, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday, revealing a speedy timeline for an eagerly awaited waterfront park.

The unsightly tow pound was finally vacated by the NYPD in January after more than 30 years occupying the pier. This week, workers began demolishing the blue-gray structure — but the governor revealed Wednesday that its "steel skeleton" would be left in place when the pier opens up to visitors.

"What we're going to be doing today, literally, is stripping down the tow pound — taking the roof off, taking the sides off — and just leaving the steel frame and turning it into an open space for the West Side of Manhattan," Cuomo said at a news conference.

The $19.7 million project will be completed this summer, the governor vowed, and could be done as early as June 1.

"Ambitious schedule, but we think we're going to make it," he said.

This summer's project is intended to be temporary, serving as an interim open space while the Hudson River Park Trust develops a long-term plan for a park on Pier 76, which juts into the river near West 36th Street.

Constructed in 1964, the five-acre pier was supposed to be transferred to the Hudson River Park Trust under a 1998 state law, but the process stalled for years. Then, last spring, the state upped the pressure on the city by threatening to impose multimillion-dollar fines if it failed to move the tow pound by Jan. 31.

The Pier 76 project will fit into the state's ambitious plan to transform Midtown West, which includes plans for a new Port Authority Bus Terminal, an expanded Penn Station, the recently-completed Moynihan Train Hall, an extension of the High Line and hundreds of new housing units.

"Pier 76 is going to be a fantastic piece of real estate," Cuomo said.

Last fall, the Hudson River Park Trust said interim uses for the wide-open pier could include outdoor concert or theater venues, food festival spaces, public art, roller rinks and more.

Since the tow pound closed to the public in January, New Yorkers whose cars have been towed below 59th Street have had to venture to the Brooklyn tow pound. Cars towed above 59th Street are brought to the Bronx tow pound.

Related tow pound coverage:

• NYPD Vacates Hell's Kitchen Tow Pound, Opening Up Pier 76
• 'Amazing': Cuomo Celebrates Hell's Kitchen Tow Pound Departure
• What Does The Future Hold For Hell's Kitchen's Pier 76?