New York City has approved the renovation of an abandoned West Side pier into a retail, food, art, and cultural beacon, according to a report.
The Young Woo & Associates plan for the 61-year-old Marine and Aviation pier at W. 15th St. will also include repurposed shipping containers to appeal to start-ups, according to the New York Daily News.
The approval clears the way for construction to begin at the pier, which has served as a dock for ocean liners, a former MTA bus depot and a holding pen for rowdy protesters arrested at the 2004 Republican National Convention.
Calling it "a major victory for Manhattan's West Side community," Council Speaker and mayoral hopeful Christine Quinn said the pier will provide "a new, sorely needed source of revenue" for the Hudson River Trust, which oversees the pier.
"Soon they will transform Pier 57 from an unused waterfront space into an innovative hub, a culture of recreation and public market activity, all located within a restored historic structure," said Quinn, whose district encompasses the pier.
The Tribeca Film Festival will run a permanent outdoor venue on the pier's roof.
"This will be pretty cool if I don't say myself," said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. "Just as the Highline took unused train tracks and turned it into a world renowned destination, Young Woo will bring life to unused shipping containers by making them key pieces of the marketplace and open space design."
