BAYONNE – Bayonne commuters’ wish for more public transit options is in the granting process. In late February, city officials and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PA) agreed to perform an impact study to determine future demand for a ferry slip on the former Military Ocean Terminal Base (MOTBY), a necessary step for Bayonne to gain greater access to Manhattan.
Residents are encouraged to take the survey here.
Negotiations between the city and the PA concern leasing suitable land on the northern shore of the former MOTBY, which Bayonne sold to the PA in 2010. Bayonne still owns most of MOTBY, which is being developed now at breakneck speeds compared to the sluggish progress over the last decade, but the shore in Bayonne’s control is not deep enough for a ferry slip.
If and when the city can lease back suitable land, then they will enter into negotiations with a ferry service, as the PA does not operate its own ferries.
Business Administrator Joe DeMarco said talks are still in preliminary stages. The impact study is a big milestone the city and the PA have never advanced this far in the past, despite years of good intentions.
“We want to work out an agreement with the PA,” said DeMarco in February. “Then we go out to the market and request qualifications, find a reputable qualified operator who wants to operate a ferry that would benefit residents and commuters.”
The Hudson Reporter <a href="http://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/27381505/article-The-last-Gold-Coast-holdout–Will-Bayonne-get-a-ferry-service-?instance=bayonne “>wrote in March that the most likely operator may be NY Waterway. With 4.6 million riders in 2016, and a 5.3 percent increase from 2015, demand for ferry service (and all public transit for that matter) generally seems strong.
MOTBY is undeniably an ideal location for a ferry, especially if the 2-square-mile peninsula is to be developed as densely as anticipated.
Thousands commute from and through Bayonne to Manhattan and Jersey City daily. A ferry would relieve the anticipated increase in rider volume on the Hudson Bergen Light Rail as a result of urbanization, while attracting new residents and developers.
Pat Smith, a spokesperson for NY Waterway, told the Hudson Reporter in March that the ferry service company is “looking into services that go from Bayonne, to Staten Island, to west 39th street in Manhattan.” Smith said any potential route would probably not go directly to Manhattan, but rather make a stop at St. George Ferry Terminal on the north shore of Staten Island, then go to 39th Street in Manhattan.
Three of the most easterly districts of MOTBY were sold to the Port Authority in 2010, known as “The Landing,” “The Loft,” and “The Pointe,” on the base’s southern shoreline, while the most likely location for a ferry would be its northern shoreline. — Rory Pasquariello
