Earlier this month, a recently introduced bill was evaluated by the City Council to determine if ferry service should be expanded to City Island.
NYC Council committee held a public hearing in the wake of a newly introduced bill, Introduction 1032-2026 (Intro 1032) on Tuesday, Oct. 20, which would potentially result in a City Island ferry landing.
NYC Council’s Committee on Economic Development and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure hosted the joint hearing to hear community feedback from City Island residents and advocates regarding a ferry landing, among other topics of discussion which involved the city’s waterway transit system.
If the study determines one or more City Island ferry sites are feasible, construction of a landing would be required within one year and ferry service would be extended from the current northernmost NYC Ferry landing at Throgs Neck/Ferry Point Park.
City Councilmembers Amanda Farías and Shirley Aldebol proposed Intro 1032 on Sept. 10, while Justin Sanchez and Kevin Riley serve as official co-sponsors of the bill.
In the past three weeks, community-based non-profit organization City Island Rising was able to collect more than 400 signatures from City Island residents and business owners in support of Intro 1032.
There are more than 20 vacant storefronts here,” said City Island Rising board member John Doyle. “This has been going on for 20 years, and it’s time to try something new.”
Michael Shanley, a lifelong Bronx resident and former police officer who has lived on City Island for the past 31 years, testified at the public hearing in full support of a City Island ferry landing.
“I’ve always said our beautiful little Island had so much potential — but unfortunately over the past [three decades] we’ve never reached it,” Shanley said. “On City Island Avenue, there are so many shuttered [store]fronts and the businesses that are opening are struggling to just keep their doors open.”
Shanley also said many City Islanders feel disconnected from the rest of the city due the lack of transportation to and from the seemingly secluded Bronx neighborhood.
“City Island is even left off maps of New York City because we don’t have a direct subway line,” Shanley added. “We feel like we’re the forgotten borough.”
Another City Island resident and business owner, Kim Woodruff, who took over local retro ice cream parlor Likety Spit in May, also provided testimony at the hearing in favor of ferry expansion to City Island.
“I wholeheartedly support bringing a ferry stop to City Island,” Woodruff said, who has lived on City Island for the past 14 years. “As a business owner on City Island, I meet people every day who love visiting the Island but complain about how difficult it is to get here, especially without a car.”
In an interview with Kim Woodruff earlier this month, Woodruff told the Bronx Times she believes a ferry landing at City Island would greatly benefit the Island’s economy.
“From my shop, I see so many empty storefronts,” Woodruff said at the hearing. “I’d love to see our main street (City Island Avenue) thriving again.”
There are some who are skeptical of the idea of a City Island ferry stop, however.
Frederick Ramftl, president of the City Island Civic Association (CICA), cited previous studies from the past decade which have already confirmed the area is logistically not feasible for a ferry landing, due to the shallow water surrounding the Island and the potential of traffic congestion as a result.
“Most of the ferry passengers will be commuting inbound to Manhattan,” Ramflt told the Bronx Times in an interview earlier this month. “Any influx of City Island visitors will only benefit the larger restaurants here. I think Orchard Beach is the suitable alternative.”
CICA second vice president Cathy Cebek also questioned the ferry’s ability to bring meaningful pedestrian traffic to the Island’s smaller establishments.
“Let’s face it — we’re not going to be next downtown Brooklyn here,” she said. “I don’t think people are going to take more than an hour-long ferry ride to have dinner. Orchard Beach is a more sensible option.”
As previously reported by the Bronx Times, a 2013 Citywide Ferry looked at possibly making Orchard Beach the borough’s first ferry destination before the modern NYC Ferry system was established in 2017.
According to many not in support of a City Island ferry landing, Orchard Beach is a most viable choice, due in large part to the fact it offers upwards of 5,000 parking spaces at its main parking facility, while City Island lacks the capacity to handle commuter parking at present.
Aside from Council members Farías and Aldebol, several elected officials who represent the East Bronx have expressed support of ferry service to City Island, including Assembly Member Michael Benedetto, who helped to secure and advocate for an NYC Ferry landing in Throggs Neck in 2021.
Senator Nathalia Fernandez, who represents several northeast Bronx neighborhoods as part of New York’s 34th State Senate district, explained any expansion must account for the needs of residents and the potential impacts on the surrounding community.
She also said a feasible study would go a long way toward understanding those considerations, and believes the effort should continue to explore innovative ways to improve accessibility and help City Island realize its full potential.
“City Island is one of NYC’s hidden gems, and the possibility of ferry service presents an opportunity to better connect the Island to the rest of our city, attract more visitors, and help our local businesses thrive,” Fernandez said.
