STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Colin Jost and Pete Davidson plan for their decommissioned Staten Island ferry to become a hopping nightlife cruiser pulled by tugboat between St. George and lower Manhattan, a third co-owner of the vessel shared with the public during a virtual meeting Tuesday night.<\/p>\n
For the first time, extensive details of the \u201creimagined\u201d John F. Kennedy ferryboat \u2014 which they hope can be docked at a rebuilt Pier 1 \u2014 were laid out before the New Brighton\/St. George\/Tompkinsville Area Committee of Community Board 1 during a preliminary presentation by Paul Italia, founder of the comedy club The Stand NYC, who owns the boat along with the celebrities. <\/p>\n
The plan, as explained by Italia, is for there to be two live entertainment venues aboard the ship, as well as ticketed events and community spaces, allowing visitors a peek into areas of the ferry that weren\u2019t previously available for public viewing, including the pilot house and the engine room.<\/p>\n
The ferry was purchased by the celebrity duo for about $280,000 four years ago. <\/p>\n
The main idea is to restore the JFK, Italia said, noting he\u2019s met with members of the Lighthouse Museum and other Island historians. He said he plans to hire hospitality workers and maritime-focused employees to maintain the boat.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a big history and a legacy for this special vessel\u201a\u2019\u2019 Italia said. \u201dAnd that comes down to, for us, not just bringing it to the public, but bringing it with responsibility.” He promised to be a custodian of the area surrounding Pier 1, which currently has litter and waste issues.<\/p>\n
Food hubs and bars will fill all six decks on the JFK, and there will be a maritime artifacts museum and tour dedicated to the history of the 56-year-old ferry, Italia said. <\/p>\n
He told the online group that in addition to bars, restaurants and comedy clubs, the ferry will also hold small theaters where cars once parked on the ground level. Elevators will be installed, he said, and the boat\u2019s exterior will be open to the public on a consistent basis. <\/p>\n
Some participating in the virtual meeting, including several residents of Bay Street Landing, said they saw value in the plan as a financial draw for the neighborhood, were happy the community would have access, and were pleased the ferryboat would be preserved.<\/p>\n
Yet many were concerned about limited parking at the Pier 1 location, which is slated by the city to be knocked down in size, already limiting space for fishermen and other recreational uses. <\/p>\n
Jeff Henick, a Bay Street Landing resident, questioned Italia about the target patrons. He wondered whether the vessel would even attract enough people to keep business afloat, noting the failure of the Empire Outlets and the low turnouts at the Staten Island University Hospital Community Park. <\/p>\n
He asked: \u201cWe can\u2019t get Staten Island residents to come to the ballpark, to come shopping, so why should they come to yours, and how are they going to park?\u2019’<\/p>\n
Residents expressed concern about noise from the six-story vessel full of partiers and tourists spilling out of bars, nightclubs and comedy clubs.<\/p>\n
An official plan has not yet been presented to the committee, at which time it will be brought before the full board for approval. Though the Community Board has only an advisory role, its vote could influence the city\u2019s ultimate ruling on the venture.<\/p>\n
No vote will happen until the community has a chance to look at the finalized plans, according to the Community Board.<\/p>\n
Italia stressed that the purchase was actually well thought out and not an impulse buy, as it has been portrayed by the media and even joked about by Jost and Davidson themselves on \u201cSaturday Night Live.\u201d <\/p>\n
![\"Jost-Davidson](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1766090716_763_FZQ3E4VWFBD3JBMFEMFXT2SZGU.JPG\")
Here, a combination of photos shows “Saturday Night Live” cast members Colin Jost at the premiere of “Avengers: Endgame” in Los Angeles on April 22, 2019, left, and Pete Davidson at the premiere of “Big Time Adolescence” in New York on March 5, 2020. The plans for the duo’s ferryboat were presented to a Community Board 1 committee Tuesday night. (Associated Press)<\/p>\n
Both celebrities were born on Staten Island, and both have made their challenges with the boat into a punchline through the years. <\/p>\n
They joked about it on a recent \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d episode<\/a> during a \u201cWeekend Update\u201dsegment<\/a> hosted by Jost. And though the pair has admitted they might have bitten off more than they can chew with the purchase, Davidson has told media outlets they have \u201ca really good plan.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n The proposal before the board now is to dock the ferry in St. George six months of the year and six months in an unspecified location in lower Manhattan.<\/p>\n The six-story craft, renamed the \u201cTitanic 2,\u201d will move back and forth between the boroughs only by tugboat with no passengers aboard, Italia said. It should be thought of more as a barge than a vessel, he said.<\/p>\n