Lauren Nye presents research supporting City Island ferry study
A fourth-generation resident says City Island has one bridge and the nearest subway is three miles away; she asks the study to count visitors, Heart Island families, and new residents, and to diversify the fleet.
Good afternoon, Chair Maloney and council members of the committees, especially CM Ferrejas, who has helped to shepherd Intro 1032.
My name is Lauren Nye.
I'm a fourth generation City Island resident, a homeowner.
I've studied extensively New York City's ferry.
I have an MPA capstone from CUNY Baruch analyzing the special City Island District.
I work at the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development, but today I'm here as a resident in support of Intro 1032.
City Island has one bridge and the nearest subway is three miles away through the city's largest park.
For at least the last decade, our main street has had consistently over 20 vacant storefronts.
From 2010 to 2020, the city grew by 600,000 people.
City Island's population is stagnant.
Without proper transit, it cannot.
In 2019, EDC concluded that ridership to City Island was low.
However, it missed key riders, day visitors to our restaurants, small businesses, Orchard Beach, families visiting Heart Island, now under parks where New York City
has many residents who have been lost to COVID, and new residents who would be able to move to City Island because transit would allow it.
The Rockaway route was also once written off for low ridership.
Today is one of the system's busiest, and the Rockaway Rocket further highlights demand to the Rockaways for leisure and tourism.
That is exactly the kind of opportunity City Island presents, and without the good data and planning, we miss this opportunity once again.
Based on my research, I request that Intro 1032 study five things, counting the full ridership, model visitors, Heart Island families, and new residents, not just commuters.
Economic development potentials, which has also been brought up today, is another part of the study.
Diversify the fleet.
New York City Ferry started with 150 passenger boats only and ordered new ones based on busier routes.
A smaller vessel would make scissor.
Smaller routes, more accessible.
Assess the City Island boatyard.
We haven't talked at all about the fact that the second repair yard is in Connecticut right now, and City Island is a special purpose district with a nautical purpose.
Connected to housing, City of Yes calls for more housing.
Our district built 10 units, or 26 units, from 2014 to 2020, while neighboring Bronx districts built more than 1,000.
My commute to Fidei is 90 minutes each way, but I'm not here for that.
I'm here because we have a chance to impact transit, economic, and housing equity, and I hope this study can help ensure that opportunity, and I'll submit written testimony with more full research and data that I have collected over my 10 years studying this matter.
Thank you.