Pier 57 Development

On July 30, 2009, the Hudson River Park Trust’s Board of Directors conditionally designated Youngwoo & Associates, LLC as developer of the historic Pier 57. The YWA team was one of three to seek the right to redevelop the pier, following a request for proposals issued by HRPT in June of 2008.

Youngwoo & Associates (YWA) will transform Pier 57 into an innovative hub of cultural, recreational and public market activities, all located within a restored historic structure that will also create several acres of public open space on the Pier 57 rooftop and along a perimeter waterfront promenade. Copies of the project description and information on the development team is available for review by clicking on the links to the right. Please be patient when downloading as some of the files are large.

YWA’s plan for Pier 57 includes a 170,000 square-foot covered, open-air public market – to be programmed and managed by Urban Space Management (USM) and housed in part in recycled and creatively refitted shipping containers. The market will be New York’s first large-scale concentration of year-round, affordable work/sell space for artisans and other small businesses. USM operates the holiday markets in Grand Central Station and Union Square, as well as several of the biggest, most popular public markets in London, including Camden Lock.

The Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) will establish a permanent outdoor venue on the roof of the pier, offering a mix of film, music and arts-based programming and promoting cultural connections between New York’s artistic community and the general public.  In addition to hosting parts of the annual film festival itself, the Pier 57 “Sky Park” will be the year-round backdrop for a variety of exhibitions and performances conceived by TFF and YWA to educate, entertain and inspire independent artists and audiences alike. 

The plan also calls for a “Contemporary Culture Center” of approximately 90,000 square-feet on the ground floor, envisioned as a unique mix of auction, exhibition, gallery and entertainment space centered around the contemporary arts.  Seasonal docks will be provided for kayaks, canoes and other small craft. Other features include a two-acre rooftop park, restaurants and an “Underwater Discovery Center” in one of the pier’s historic caissons. Redevelopment of the pier, a National Historic Registry structure containing approximately 375,000 square feet of buildable waterfront space, is estimated  to cost a total of $210 million.

Prior to making the conditional designation, the Trust Board and staff spent many months reviewing the three proposals to determine their compliance with the Hudson River Park Act and the criteria spelled out in the RFP, including:

• Compatibility of the proposed uses with the Park;
• Capacity of the development team to complete the project;
• The design of the project, including its respect for the pier’s historic structure;  
• The financial feasibility of the project; and
• The revenue it will generate for the Trust.

In addition, the Trust worked with the Community Working Group of our Advisory Council to review the proposals. The Youngwoo proposal received the strong recommendation of the Working Group and Advisory Council prior to the Trust’s Board action.  In addition, the Trust held a public hearing regarding the three submissions. The hearing was conducted jointly with the Hudson River Park Advisory Council and Manhattan Community Boards 4, 2 and 1 in compliance with the requirements of the Hudson River Park Act with respect to significant actions and took place on February 12, 2009.  Written comments submitted to the Trust were also reviewed. 

In the coming months, the Trust will work with the Youngwoo team to continue refining the project and to conduct an environmental review.  The project will be subject to New York City’s Uniform Land Use Procedure (ULURP).

Please check back for further updates on the project.

Youngwoo & Associates
Project Description 25M
Development Team 11M

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Pier 57 RFP
06.30.08

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Hudson River Park Act

Hudson River Park Act Amendment Concerning
Pier 57