Manhattanites looking to soak up the last bit of summer sun are in luck, as city and state officials cut the ribbon on the island’s first public beach this week.
Gansevoort Peninsula, a 5.5-acre sandy greenspace in Hudson River Park, opened to a ruckus crowd of beachgoers on Monday, featuring a sprawling array of summertime activities — including picnic areas, sports fields, lounging space, misting stations, fitness equipment and a salt marsh.
As the borough’s first public beach, the space provides a new launching point for kayakers and other non-motorized boats to set sail on the Hudson River.
“This is how we do things in New York. We see beauty and potential, we roll up our sleeves and we get to work,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said at the opening of the park. “This collaboration between New York City and State will benefit everyone who visits here on the shore of the Hudson, and it checks a lot of boxes from climate change mitigation to competition on the ball fields, from a stroll with your pup to sitting on the beach. It’s been 25 years in the making and we’ve shown once again that anything worth having is worth working for.”
Located in Hudson River Park between Gansevoort Street and Little W. 12th Street, near the Meatpacking District, Gansevoort Peninsula opens after a $73 million investment from the city and state, and will help shore up the Manhattan shoreline against flooding and inclement weather with a salt marsh and 20 million juvenile oysters in the water, said Mayor Eric Adams.
“Gansevoort Peninsula is a true green space for the 21st century, incorporating innovative design and helping to prepare the west side of Manhattan for climate change,” Hizzoner said. “Our administration is working to provide open space in every community and expand access to public parks in all five boroughs. The city has invested more than $70 million in this critical project that will help us reach that goal, and we hope New Yorkers enjoy all the wonderful amenities it has to offer.”
With 1,200 tons of sand, and all the beachgoing amenities you need for a day on the waterfront, the new public space lives atop a former sanitation facility where 13th Avenue once ran, and serves as a critical connection between two once-detached sections of Hudson River Park, said the manager of the beloved greenspace.
“Twenty-five years ago, Hudson River Park was a big dream, and Gansevoort was an even bigger one. Converting this former Sanitation facility into the sparkling public open space it is today has been a decades-long endeavor,” said Noreen Doyle, the President & CEO of Hudson River Park Trust. “Beyond adding 5.5 new acres of extraordinary park to New York’s open space network, Gansevoort also connects communities to their Hudson River, completing a gap in the Park’s four-mile footprint, and making it infinitely more pleasurable to travel between our surrounding west side neighborhoods.”
While swimming will be prohibited due to the porous water quality in the Hudson River, New Yorkers are free to head out in kayaks and other boats — which previously lacked an official launching point anywhere in Manhattan.
Four-legged friends are also welcome, as Gansevoort Peninsula also features two dog runs (one for larger dogs, and one for smaller pets).
The project took four years of construction to complete and provides a critical new location for New Yorkers to soak up the sun and sprawl out in the fresh air.
“My heart is bursting with pride when I see what we’ve created here,” said Hochul.
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