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New skyscrapers, restaurants and coffee shops pop up around the city pretty much every day. New harbors, not so much. Few people realize that NYC has 520 miles of coastline, which is longer than the coastlines of Miami, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco combined. But, with limited waterfront property that's virtually been snatched up since the 18th century, it's nearly impossible that we could be welcoming a new marina to our already condensed waterways. Well, say hello to ONE°15 Brooklyn Marina, soon to be located in the heart of Brooklyn Bridge Park between Piers 4 and 5.
"What we are seeing in New York is the city's memory of our waterfront being reawakened," Marina General Manager, Tim O’Brien, tells Time Out New York. "Many new properties are being built on the waterfront in Brooklyn as well as other parts of the city, and waterfront parks are seeing popularity far beyond what planners anticipated. But that being said, there really are no new places constructed in the last generation where people can come down to the water, get on the boat and go on an excursion in New York Harbor."
Set to open in spring 2016, the new state-of-the-art marina will be home to facilities for docking boats, a Sail Club & School and a members-only Harbor Club. The creators are also gearing up to welcome the global boating community. "We are hosting a race called the TRANSAT this coming spring which is one of the longest running transatlantic sailing races and has incredible boats," adds O'Brien. "And the great thing is that they want to come here, they want to come to New York City and be a part of what's happening on New York Harbor."
More than welcoming the elite and members-only crowd, ONE°15 is dedicating a quarter of their space to free community water-based programs. In fact, the marina’s Community Dock will be one of the largest docks in New York City offering community programming that will make boating and kayaking available to residents of all ages, abilities and incomes.
"One of the key elements of ONE°15 Brooklyn Marina is our community dock, which will allow people to walk down to the water and learn about recreational boating via a multitude of programs," notes O'Brien. "The community dock will truly feel like an extension of the park itself. We're working with incredible nonprofit partners to develop more and more opportunities for people to get out on the water." And with the calmest waters in all of New York Harbor, the spot is ideal for first time sailors.
"This project represents something unique in the recent development of the city," concludes O'Brien. "This project truly spans from the local community to the global boating world. That's a special thing in a city that is just starting to remember that this big beautiful harbor is what attracted people to New York originally."