EDC had proposed route changes to the ferry presented earlier this year, including service from Bay Ridge to Staten Island

NYC Ferry may one day be Coney Island-bound.

The NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) announced it was checking to see if it’s possible to provide a route to the neighborhood.

“As NYCEDC continues to explore expanded ferry service across New York Harbor, we are placing a buoy off Steeplechase Pier on Coney Island to collect data about nearby wind and wave conditions and to assess the feasibility of providing service to Coney Island Beach,” EDC stated.

The data collected by the new buoy will assist in evaluating the feasibility of ferry service for different or larger vessels better suited for these conditions, as well as whether alternate wave mitigation structures could make ferry service to Coney Island Beach more financially achievable.

Steeplechase Pier

Image via Google Maps

“We are taking another big step towards making the Coney Island Ferry a reality,” Councilmember Justin Brannan wrote on Facebook after addressing the buoy. “Shout-out to my colleague and partner on all things Coney Island Ferry Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton for working with me on this. Let’s go!!!!”

This isn’t the first time EDC has tried to bring the service to the neighborhood.

Previous evaluations of service feasibility at Coney Island Beach found that NYC Ferry vessels could not provide service in the open ocean water conditions without the construction of high-cost wave mitigation structures. 

In November 2021, EDC stated on its website that NYC Ferry paused work on the Coney Island Creek ferry landing due to navigation and safety concerns related to sand build-up. 

“While we have taken an exhaustive look at the different location options for a Coney Island Ferry landing with continuous dialogue with the community, we have not yet found an operationally viable and financially responsible landing location where we could deliver service,” EDC stated. 

A rally was held back in 2018 trying to bring the service to the area.

Eagle Urban Media/File Photo

Riders and elected officials have called for ferry service in the neighborhood since NYC Ferry launched in 2017.

“It’s pretty insulting that we didn’t get it the first round, given that we are a major city tourist attraction, and we have a major history of past ferry service unlike any other neighborhood in New York City,” co-founder of Coney Island U.S.A. Dick Zigun told this paper during a 2018 rally. “Given how much money the city has invested in Coney Island, our attendance is going up by the millions and we’re hard to get to.”

This year, EDC is showing that big changes are coming to the service, even without a Coney Island route.

Back in July, it started conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the entire NYC Ferry network and proposed major route changes. 

One of the proposals included connecting the St. George, Staten Island route to Brooklyn and the rest of the system.

Others include breaking the East River into two routes, combining the Soundview and Rockaway routes, providing a one-seat ride to Midtown for the South Brooklyn route, opening a popular job center to Red Hook and Atlantic Ave residents and increasing frequency.

In June, legislation was introduced by councilmembers Kamillah Hanks and Justin Brannan that would allow the ferry to use the existing infrastructure, where fast ferry service already exists at American Veterans Memorial Pier on Shore Road and 69th Street and the St. George ferry terminal.