Astoria residents will soon be able to explore the East River on kayak with the construction of a floating dock along the waterfront.
The Economic Development Corporation will host a visioning session on Nov. 2 from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Astoria Houses Community Center, which is located at 4-05 Astoria Blvd. Residents can RSVP to the meeting online.
Councilman Costa Constantinides first announced the idea in 2015 and outlined his plans for the dock in his State of the District speech in January. The eco dock, which will be constructed at Hallets Peninsula, would replace a rotting pier off of Vernon Boulevard and also allow for nearby students to study marine wildlife and environmental science, he said.
Eco docks are resilient during storms and are built on pylons so that the dock moves with the tide.
The current pier was constructed in the 1950s but has not been used for decades because of its dilapidated state. Funding for the eco dock has been provided by the councilman, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and Mayor Bill de Blasio. A total of $5 million has been allocated for the project, which will also include shaded seating and boat storage.
According to the councilman’s office, the dock is tentatively scheduled to be built by 2019. According to an EDC spokesperson, there is no specific timeline but the agency expects the design phase to take one year and construction to begin right after.
