ST. GEORGE — A Staten Island port will soon be a pickup spot for passengers headed for tours of the New York harbor, dinner cruises, party boats and fishing trips.
DockNYC — run by BillyBey Marina Services and the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance which were selected by the New York City Economic Development Corporation to operate several waterfront spots around the city — added Pier 1 to its locations earlier this month.
It plans to have programming there by early summer.
"Pier 1 is a nice facility, but it just hasn’t been used," said Donald Liloia, senior vice president for DockNYC.
"We think it's a great spot, in part because of all the transit connections."
DockNYC's acquisition of Pier 1 was first reported by the Staten Island Advance.
"We know how difficult it is to find a place to dock, there's a lot of people looking for space," Liloia said.
The group recently presented its plans to Community Board 1, where some members voiced concerns about security on the pier and lack of parking in the neighborhood for people boarding boats, the Advance reported.
Liloia said the group doesn't think most people will drive to the dock, since it's near the ferry, train station and buses. He said the group would work with Triangle Equities — the developer of Lighthouse Point that will manage the pier itself — to make sure appropriate security is in place.
Pier 1, formerly known as Lighthouse Pier, was historically used for producing and shipping lighthouse lenses worldwide. It was restored by the EDC in 2009, according to the agency.
The EDC added tables, benches, new lighting and a fish cleaning table to the pier.
In 2013, the agency started the DockNYC program to bring more use to seven waterfront sites around the city by making it easier for companies to get permits to launch and dock ships at them.
