Halletts Cove Redevelopment
A Legacy of Public Use
The history of Halletts Cove as a site for human-related water activity extends beyond the very founding of Astoria. Although the area remained essentially rural until the 19th Century, Halletts Cove served as a landing for vessels after the area's initial settlement in 1652. Documentation from 1782 shows one merchant who maintained a few small passenger boats in addition to a boat for the movement of horses to and from Halletts Cove. A stage coach system of water transportation was also developed; however, it took two and a half hours to get to City Hall.
In 1839, the still-rural area of Astoria—with a population of two thousand— was incorporated as a village and steamboat and ferry facilities linking 86th Street in Manhattan to the area were quickly established, greatly reducing the trip to New York. Service was also made available to Flushing and Williamsburg. The area at or around the current EDC Halletts Cove project has served as a public docking area since at least that time. The project at Halletts Cove is thus one way of continuing the legacy of the site’s purpose as a means of public access to local waterways.
Description
The site is composed of a single 27,750 square foot lot featuring a dilapidated pier and radio tower. Previously used as an illegal dumping ground for solid waste, this potentially beautiful piece of waterfront land--which looks out to Manhattan and Roosevelt Island across the East River--is currently an eyesore. Public access to the site is restricted by a fence along Vernon Boulevard. To the north of the site are the Astoria Houses Esplanade, Two Coves Community Garden, and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Astoria Houses. To the south is Socrates Sculpture Park, itself the site of a major restoration that took place in 1986.
In June of 2011, Green Shores NYC and the Trust for Public Land (TPL) released a document detailing the community's vision to turn the eight miles of waterfront between Newtown Creek and Bowery Bay into a cohesive stretch of publicly accessibly space. Engaging the communities of Astoria and Long Island City through a series of visioning sessions, hundreds of residents participated in a total of seven neighborhood listening sessions and two area-wide brainstorming sessions. Through these meetings, three principles emerged to guide the Queens waterfront: a 21st Century, healthy and vibrant, and a connected waterfront. For Halletts Cove, specifically, Green Shores NYC and TPL recommend a plan that would involve the renovation of the space for a variety of possible activities--including relaxation, fishing, and boating.
In Vision 2020; New York City Comprehensive Waterfront Plan, the Mayor’s Office and Department of City Planning state a similar goal of implementing an East River and North Shore Greenway in Queens, as well as enhancing wetland habitats and offering greater opportunities for in-water recreation. In partnership with the EDC, the Mayor’s Office also created the New York City Waterfront Action Agenda, which outlines the strategy of building green infrastructure and other controls to capture rainfall and reduce combined sewer overflows. When planning the details of the redevelopment project at Halletts Cove, it is thus important to consider how it will benefit both the local community and the overall ecological well-being of New York City.
Let your voice be heard!
MWA wants to hear your ideas about how the publicly-owned space at Halletts Cove can be used to serve the diverse interests of the local community. Whether you are a runner, a kayaker, a boater, a fisher, someone who lives or works nearby, or just someone who enjoys the serenity of sitting near the water, your opinion can help inform the plan that is eventually implemented at the site.
Located on Vernon Boulevard in Queens, the site is under control of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC). The EDC plans to undertake an ecological restoration of the site, but how this is done and what the space is used for in the future is in your hands!
If you have any ideas that you would like to be heard, contact John Fallon at jfallon@waterfrontalliance.org.
