Astoria & Long Island City

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Floating 'Eco Dock' for Kayakers Coming to Astoria Waterfront

October 31, 2017 7:30am | Updated October 31, 2017 7:30am
Kayakers wait their turn to take the plunge into the water at the eco dock in Brooklyn Bridge Park.
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DNAinfo/Claire Cameron

HALLETS POINT — The city is moving forward with plans to install a floating "eco dock" for kayakers to launch their boats on the Astoria waterfront. 

The Parks Department and the city's Economic Development Corporation will host a community meeting Thursday night to discuss designs for the dock, which will likely be built along the East River esplanade near Hallets Cove, according to the EDC. 

The design phase of the project will take about a year, with construction of the dock to follow, the agency said. An exact timeline has not been set.

So far, $5 million has been secured for the dock's construction, with capital funding allocated by City Councilman Costa Constantinides, Borough President Melinda Katz and the mayor's office.

Constantinides first floated the idea for the project during his "State of the District" speech in 2015, envisioning the dock as a place where small boats could dock and students could participate in eco-friendly lessons about the waterfront.

A similar eco dock — which is built to float up and down with the tides — opened in Brooklyn Bridge Park in 2013. 

The EDC and the Parks Department will host the first "visioning session" for the project this Thursday from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Astoria Houses Community Center, 4-05 Astoria Boulevard. Attendees can RSVP for the meeting here. 

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