City Councilmembers Amanda Far\u00edas and Shirley Aldebol proposed Intro 1032<\/a> on Sept. 10, while Justin Sanchez and Kevin Riley serve as official co-sponsors of the bill.<\/p>\n In the past three weeks, community-based non-profit organization City Island Rising was able to collect more than 400 signatures from City Island residents and business owners in support of Intro 1032.<\/p>\n There are more than 20 vacant storefronts here,\u201d said City Island Rising board member John Doyle. \u201cThis has been going on for 20 years, and it\u2019s time to try something new.\u201d<\/p>\n Michael Shanley, a lifelong Bronx resident who has lived on City Island for the past 31 years, testified at the public hearing in full support of a City Island ferry landing.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always said our beautiful little Island had so much potential \u2014 but unfortunately over the past [three decades] we\u2019ve never reached it,\u201d Shanley said. \u201cOn City Island Avenue, there are so many shuttered [store]fronts and the businesses that are opening are struggling to just keep their doors open.\u201d<\/p>\n Shanley also said many City Islanders feel disconnected from the rest of the city due the lack of transportation to and from the seemingly secluded Bronx neighborhood.<\/p>\n \u201cCity Island is even left off maps of New York City because we don\u2019t have a direct subway line,\u201d Shanley added. \u201cWe feel like we\u2019re the forgotten borough.\u201d<\/p>\n Another City Island resident and business owner, Kim Woodruff, who took over local retro ice cream parlor Likety Spit in May, also provided testimony at the hearing in favor of ferry expansion to City Island.<\/p>\n \u201cI wholeheartedly support bringing a ferry stop to City Island,\u201d Woodruff said, who has lived on City Island for the past 14 years. \u201cAs a business owner on City Island, I meet people every day who love visiting the Island but complain about how difficult it is to get here, especially without a car.\u201d<\/p>\n In an interview with Kim Woodruff earlier this month, Woodruff told the Bronx Times she believes a ferry landing at City Island would greatly benefit the Island\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom my shop, I see so many empty storefronts,\u201d Woodruff said at the hearing. \u201cI\u2019d love to see our main street (City Island Avenue) thriving again.\u201d<\/p>\n There are some who are skeptical of the idea of a City Island ferry stop, however.<\/p>\n Frederick Ramftl, president of the City Island Civic Association (CICA), cited previous studies from the past decade which have already confirmed the area is logistically not feasible for a ferry landing, due to the shallow water surrounding the Island and the potential of traffic congestion as a result.<\/p>\n \u201cMost of the ferry passengers will be commuting inbound to Manhattan,\u201d Ramflt told the Bronx Times in an interview earlier this month. \u201cAny influx of City Island visitors will only benefit the larger restaurants here. I think Orchard Beach is the suitable alternative.\u201d<\/p>\n CICA second vice president Cathy Cebek also questioned the ferry\u2019s ability to bring meaningful pedestrian traffic to the Island\u2019s smaller establishments.\n<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s face it \u2014 we\u2019re not going to be next downtown Brooklyn here,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t think people are going to take more than an hour-long ferry ride to have dinner. Orchard Beach is a more sensible option.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Boats](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/20230615_130206-scaled.jpg\")
City Island\u2019s waterfront is at the center of a proposal to expand NYC Ferry service to the East Bronx neighborhood. A bill introduced in the City Council would require a feasibility study to determine whether a ferry landing could be built on the island. Photo by Emily Swanson<\/p>\n