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It’s not every day that New Yorkers get a brand-new beach.
That’s why the opening of the Motiva section of Bushwick Inlet Park on the Greenpoint-Williamsburg border feels like such a big deal. After years of delays, planning meetings and community advocacy, the long-awaited waterfront parcel is finally open to the public, giving North Brooklyn residents something that has been in short supply for decades: direct access to the water.
And yes, it comes with an actual tiny beach.
The newly opened Motiva parcel wraps around the northern edge of Bushwick Inlet, creating a waterfront oasis that looks across the East River toward Manhattan. Depending on where you're standing, you'll catch views of the East Village skyline, passing ferries and, if you're lucky, some of the migratory birds already making use of the restored habitat.
The site spans roughly 1.8 acres and features winding pathways, native plantings, wetlands-inspired landscaping and one particularly exciting amenity for outdoorsy Brooklynites: a kayak launch. There’s also a small sandy shoreline where visitors can dip their toes in the sand—though, to be clear, this isn't a swimming beach.
“Our parks are where New Yorkers reconnect with their city, and this newest portion of Bushwick Inlet Park gives visitors a place to take in the majesty of the Manhattan skyline while enjoying the serenity of a thriving green waterfront,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura in an official statement announcing the opening.
The project has been a long time coming. The city purchased the parcel from Motiva Enterprises (hence the name), an oil company that once owned the site, in 2014. Before that, the land sat vacant for decades after its industrial uses faded away. The newly completed design intentionally nods to the area's ecological past, restoring elements of the tidal wetlands that once characterized this stretch of Brooklyn's shoreline.
As exciting as the opening is, it also serves as a reminder of how much work remains unfinished. Bushwick Inlet Park was first promised as part of the 2005 Greenpoint-Williamsburg rezoning, when city officials pledged a sprawling waterfront park in exchange for allowing significant residential development along the waterfront. More than two decades later, the vision remains incomplete.
The full park is expected to span roughly 27 acres, but only a fraction of that acreage is currently open to the public. Several major parcels still require environmental remediation, funding and construction before the project can finally be completed.
Still, after years of staring at fences and construction barriers, North Brooklyn residents can finally walk down to the inlet itself. It may be small, but in a city where every square foot of public waterfront feels hard-won, the Motiva opening is a meaningful victory and one of the most pleasant new summer hangouts to arrive in Brooklyn this year.