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4 Stories to Watch in 2017 on the Rockaway Peninsula

By Katie Honan | December 30, 2016 4:44pm
 From the completed boardwalk to downtown Far Rockaway development, keep your eye on these happenings.
From the completed boardwalk to downtown Far Rockaway development, keep your eye on these happenings.
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New York City Department of Parks

ROCKAWAY BEACH — This year is poised to be a big one for the Rockaway peninsula.

The long-awaited ferry is set to begin, Parks Department projects are moving forward and the brand-new boardwalk will finally be completely finished.

Here's a primer on what's poised to be the biggest stories to watch in 2017:

1. Boardwalk Construction Completed

In a word: Finally. The completely re-done boardwalk along the beach is set to be completed by Memorial Day 2017, barring any wind restrictions, government shutdowns, piping plover nests or any other problems that have delayed the project over its four year journey. 

The project, an integral part of the peninsula's Hurricane Sandy recovery, has been celebrated in various phases. 

This year, the whole thing will be done in time for summer. 

2. Downtown Far Rockaway Development

Announced last year in Mayor Bill de Blasio's State of the City address was a $91 million investment in downtown Far Rockaway, near Mott and Central avenues.

The first request for proposals for development of a city-owned lot was issued this fall, with updates expected throughout 2017.

The fate of land owned by Rita Stark, who died earlier this fall, will also be an issue going into 2017.

3. The "Rockaway Ferry" Is Back

The Citywide Ferry is set to launch in the summer of 2017, marking the return of the short-lived ferry to Rockaway Park that was mourned by residents after it stopped riding on Oct. 31, 2014.

The boat to Rockaway is now part of a multi-borough line that includes routes to Astoria, Sunset Park and Lower Manhattan. It'll include surfboard racks and will actually be a different boat from the rest of the fleet, since it has to power through rougher waters.

Free shuttle buses will take passengers to the Beach 108th Street landing in Rockaway Park from Bayswater on the eastern end and up to Neponsit on the western end of the peninsula. 

4. Construction Continues Throughout the Peninsula

The former Peninsula Hospital site in Edgemere was sold last year to an affordable housing developer already building senior housing in Bayswater.

The old Beach Club restaurant site is poised to be the center of a major market-rate residential development called Seaport Landing.

And on Rockaway Beach Boulevard near Beach 114th Street, where a stretch of businesses burned during Hurricane Sandy, two-story apartments are rising. 

Those projects, along with dozens of Build It Back rebuilds and elevations on homes across the peninsula, show there's a construction boom in the area. 

The hammers will continue to swing throughout 2017 as more work is announced.