A renewed sense of hope is washing over parts of Coney Island as the New York City Economic Development Corporation launches a study to determine whether it’s safe to operate ferry service from a pier in the amusement district.

On any given day, ferries glide past Pat Auletta Steeplechase Pier on their route from the Rockaways to Manhattan, connecting one coastal community to the city’s center, while another watches from the shore.

“They see the ferry go by and say, ‘Why can’t it just pull over and pick me up?'” said Councilmember Justin Brannan, pointing at a passing boat.

Ferry beats the train

Advocates say a Coney Island ferry could drastically cut travel time for residents. 

“A ferry from Coney Island to Lower Manhattan would take about 25 minutes. Same trip by train would take over an hour,” said Craig Hammerman, co-president of Coney Islanders for an Oceanside Ferry. “So there’s clearly a savings to be had.”

Hammerman and his coalition have pushed for the project for years, even as the Economic Development Corporation previously deemed it too costly. He said he still holds out hope, showing off a small ferry collectible he once picked up from a community meeting on the subject.  

Ann Valdez, who lives in NYCHA’s Gravesend Houses and serves alongside Hammerman as co-president of the advocacy group, said the project could bring both accessibility and economic benefits.

“Our amusement area is enjoyed by people from all over the world,” she said. “So that itself is going to bring back the money.”

“The pier is already here, and that’s half the battle”  

Brannan recently helped reignite the effort by partnering with NYC EDC to install a buoy off Steeplechase Pier to track wave patterns over the next year. The data could determine whether various vessels could safely operate in the area.

“We’re hoping that the buoy shows that having a bigger boat to fight these tougher waves is really all you need,” Brannan said. “The pier is already here, and that’s half the battle.”

The city’s previous attempt at ferry service ended in controversy. In 2022, NYC EDC built a ferry landing at Kaiser Park despite objections from residents who said the site was unusable.

“We kept telling them, ‘No, we cannot do it there. That is all sand deposit. The sand moves,'” Valdez recalled.

Soon after, workers quietly dismantled the landing, deeming the location unsuitable for regular service.

As CBS News New York’s Hannah Kliger found at the time, the city spent more than $13 million taxpayer money to assemble and disassemble a ferry project that never transported a single commuter.

“Coney Island not only deserves a ferry, but Coney Island needs a ferry”

Despite that setback, advocates like Hammerman remain optimistic. “We consider that to be a down payment on a Coney Island ferry, because Coney Island not only deserves a ferry, but Coney Island needs a ferry,” he said.

Local father Kouichi Shirayanagi says while a ferry would be enormously helpful, the previous missteps eroded community trust.

“What should be a positive project which could benefit everybody in the community, people are more questioning of it and thinking of it as a contractor boondoggle,” Shirayanagi said.

NYC EDC said the main challenge at Steeplechase Pier is navigating open-water conditions. The new data collected from the buoy over the next year will help determine whether larger vessels can safely handle the waves.

For now, Coney Islanders are watching and waiting, hoping a ferry that passes might one day stop to pick them up.

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