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West Villagers Float Greenmarket Plan for Pier 40

By DNAinfo Staff on February 2, 2010 6:08pm  | Updated on February 2, 2010 5:56pm

Pier 40 on the Hudson River.
Pier 40 on the Hudson River.
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Photo: Courtesy of the Hudson River Park Trust

By Nicole Breskin

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

WEST VILLAGE — West Village residents are hoping to attract a greenmarket to Pier 40 that could rival Union Square's and help revitalize the area.

The greenmarket idea, which joins a long list of proposals for the 15-acre pier where Houston Street meets the Hudson River, grew from a neighborhood survey of suggestions for uses at the site.

“The greenmarket is the old-fashioned marketplace,” said George Capsis, publisher of WestView, the community-based online opinion publication that conducted the study, at a meeting of Community Board 2 Monday. “It’s hugely successful in Union Square. It could attract restaurants with waterfront views here with fresh fish coming in from all across the Hudson River.”

Local residents came up with 20 recommendations for Pier 40, including the greenmarket, an indoor/outdoor pool, a public school and a day camp.

Development plans for the pier, one of the largest on Manhattan's waterfront, have generated controversy in recent years.

A proposal submitted by developer the Related Companies, which included establishing an entertainment complex for the performance group Cirque de Soleil at the site, was roundly rejected by the community in 2008. Other bids involving a private developer have subsequently fallen through.

But despite local preference for the greenmarket, many say it’s not a financially viable option.

“Pier 40 is an outpost. It has no natural traffic,” said Perry Street resident Jonathan Slaff of the pier's somewhat remote location. “We must take into account commercial viability.”

WestView’s study was completed last month and received 180 responses.

In the study, respondents said they would least like to see riverboat gambling or a heliport station at the pier. But they would be willing to accept an elevated ball field, increased pedestrian traffic and expanded parking.

Noreen Doyle, executive vice president of the Hudson River Park Trust — the state-city authority that manages the 5-mile-long West Side park and piers — said the Trust is now primarily concerned with financing necessary repairs at Pier 40.

The pier's roof alone will take $20 million to fix and at least an additional $35 million to repair old supporting piles.

“A greenmarket is a natural concept for use. It’s not a stretch,” Doyle said. “It could happily be there at some point, but the board is currently focused on keeping it up and running.”