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Cruise ship concert hall coming to Red Hook?

By Andy Campbell
The Brooklyn Paper
The Brooklyn Papers / Jess Wisloski
Sure, the Red Hook Cruise Ship Terminal is busy when the big boats come in, but 300 days a year, it's quiet as a lonesome backwater.

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The city is planning to turn the mostly unused parking lot at the Red Hook Cruise Ship Terminal into a functional community resource, officials announced on Monday.

The huge, roughly two-by-two block cement slab is currently utilized only during the few days a year that people and buses need parking for their bon voyages.

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“Basically it goes unused 300 days a year,” said Economic Development Corporation spokesman Josh Nachowitz. “We’d like to find a program [for] the site.”

Nachowitz would only release vague details about the site’s future at the Community Board 6 committee meeting last Monday night at Long Island College Hospital, pending the city’s formal request for proposals that will be issued next month. But at a roundtable discussion with Red Hook stakeholders and businesses last week, Nachowitz said the city will seek “events and arts programming suggestions.”

That leaves the floor open to a slew of options, but not all possibilities because no permanent infrastructure is allowed on the lot because parking spaces will still be needed during cruise days. Tents, temporary concert venues and a flea market involving “a consortium of different businesses” were acknowledged by EDC officials as possibilities.

©2010 Community Newspaper Group

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Reader Feedback

al pankin from downtown says:
Another useless political idea, the cruise ship location was a big waste of time, not to mention taxpayer money...what merchant has see a penny of business from this cruise ship docking facility? not even con edison...it was a brainless idea conceived by people who don't put their own money on the line....people who make these decisions should have a brain scan.
Feb. 26, 2010, 7:06 pm
karen shamoun from red hook says:
I totally disagree. When the cruise ships are docked at the pier for embarkation or disembarkation, every grocery store, pizza place and restaurant is packed. I own a travel agency on Van Brunt Street, and we cant get a lunch delivery on those days for hours. The people who work for the cruise lines also frequent the shops in red hook they have told us. The local hotels are also doing very well from the cruise ship passengers, who do a pre or post hotel stay without paying Manhatan prices. So, the politicians do know what they're doing, open your eyes!
March 3, 2010, 2:53 pm
ivette from red hook says:
it is a good idea, only if they employ neighborhood people, like ikea...and not let them go after the first year when the big deal was over like ikea !!! they have let go many of their employees after the so called GRAND OPENING!!! the traffic though is sucks when the cruise ship is in but if it brings money for our neighborhood..so be it>>>
June 23, 2010, 11:41 am
tom from Red Hook says:
I wouldn't trust any proposal from The Economic Development Corp . No East River ferry service, Loud tourist helicopters routed over our community , and a cruise ship facility with no shore power. This quasi public private extension of Bloomberg has treated Red Hook as a dumping ground. A concert venue ?What a joke. We cant even get our roads fixed. Also Community Board 6 has turned it's back on Red Hook over and over . Aren't they the ones who approved a strip club (Paris Burlesque) over on Commerce. Good going!!!
Jan. 18, 1:50 pm
JJBurkard from Red Hook says:
There's a hunt now going on to find a berthing spot for the Mary Whalen...She's a retired Tanker belonging to PortSide N.Y., Carolina Salguaro's great project....
With so much support as I witnessed at tonights meeting in LICH, it seems incredible that in our Village Red Hook nearly completely surrounded by water, a place to move this flagship of PortSide cannot be found... Why not a berth in or near the unused portion of where those giant cruise liners visit Red Hook, Nothing is impossible....But it seems in Red Hook the simpler the problem, the more people will throw up their hands and say it can't be done.....JjB.....
Feb. 28, 4:54 am
JJBurkard from Red Hook says:
Let's try to get Cunard Line to sponsor some of those events being talked about by EDC....
We could have annual in water boat shows that last one week, and attract thousands of people from all over....We could even try to get the City of Southampton England where these huge liners sail to and from, to adopt our Village of Red Hook.... Southampton is slightly larger that Red Hook, but such a beautiful City...Perhaps they could show us a thing or two on improvong and investing in Red Hook If we want bigs things to happen in our Village, we need to start thinking big....We need to get in touch Cunard Line public relation.....JjB.....
Feb. 28, 5:04 am

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