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A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC. Gothamist Listen Live Donate News Plan to add marina in Greenpoint flames tensions in rapidly changing neighborhood By Liam Quigley Published Aug 18, 2026 at 6:30 a.m. ET
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A plan to build a marina and cafe in a waterfront park in Greenpoint is at the center of the latest clash over the neighborhood's future.
The proposal from two local business owners, first reported by Greenpointers , would transform the six-acre WNYC Transmitter Park, which features a sweeping view of the Manhattan skyline and a defunct radio facility.
Some residents fear the project would change the secluded, quiet park for the worse by adding boat parking. The historic WNYC transmitter building could be knocked down to make way for the eatery, disappointing some residents who had hoped to preserve the structure. But as the parks department continues to operate on a thin budget, such projects offer potentially valuable revenue sources .
“The bottom line is this is a complete mismatch for this park,” said Elissa Iberti, chair of the Friends of WNYC Transmitter Park. “It is a quiet, natural space. What is listed as six acres in reality is a little over two acres of land if you don't count the water in the river. What they're proposing is way beyond the scope of this tiny park.”
Rent in the area has climbed from $2,900 in 2016 to roughly $5,000 this year, according to the real estate site StreetEasy.
The dispute, which played out at a Mayor’s Office of Franchise and Concession Review Committee hearing last week, is the latest sign of Greenpoint’s transformation from a working-class enclave for Polish immigrants to a pricey neighborhood with luxury apartment buildings along the waterfront. Industrial lots have been replaced by glass towers overlooking the East River. The prospect of adding boat docks to the waterfront left locals feeling uneasy.
"It's beautiful, and I think you see so many walks of life there. You see people that are older, you see the old Polish grandmas, you see the kids, you see people on their headphones, you see the dogs,” neighborhood resident Josh Goldsmith said at the hearing. “I think building a marina and taking away the views that so many of us find solitude in, and taking away the community that's free for all for a restaurant where you might have to have hundreds of dollars to even get a drink, that doesn't seem fair to me."
Locals described Transmitter Park as an oasis amid the waterfront construction. The park is named after the transmitter building that began broadcasting WNYC’s AM frequency during Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia’s administration. WNYC stopped broadcasting from the tower in 1990.
Kayla Jenkins was one of about 15 people enjoying the unobstructed views of Manhattan from the park last Thursday afternoon. She said a restaurant and a marina would fundamentally change the park's relaxed atmosphere.
“There's no capitalism driving anyone to this park,” she said. “I prefer it to stay that way just so that we have areas — green areas, waterfront areas — that aren't encouraging people to spend money.”
The concession plan could allow a developer to raze the WNYC building and put a restaurant in its place. In an Aug. 6 email, the Landmarks Preservation Commission said the building doesn’t rise to the level of an individual landmark.
A spokesperson for Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote in a statement, “We are working closely with the community and their elected leaders to understand how to best meet their needs.”
Assemblymember Emily Gallagher said that parkgoers had been asking the building to be refurbished to include restrooms. She said they had not sought a restaurant.
“ I think our community is sick of having to fight all the time to just be seen as members of New York City and not as, you know, somebody getting in the way of, of a profit plan,” Gallagher said.
Parks officials said at the hearing last week that language from a draft agreement specifying 40 boat slips would be removed. But residents fear that leaving the language open-ended means the marina could ultimately hold even more watercraft. Parks officials noted that the old WNYC building could still be restored, rather than torn down.
Josh Cohen, one of the partners behind the potential marina and restaurant, testified that any development would respect the park's spirit.
“We’re waiting to hear about the viability of rehabbing the current building from Parks and independent engineers, but have every intention to make a space that would make sense for the park,” he said. “I would never sell out to big corporate money. That would not happen.”
Parks department spokesperson Chris Clark said that the agency is considering the feedback.
“WNYC Transmitter Park is a great place to take in the Brooklyn waterfront, and we're working to make it even better,” he wrote in a statement. “At parks across the city, we've seen how concessions like cafes can make our public spaces more vibrant and welcoming, and we're looking forward to bringing that to WNYC Transmitter Park.”
Parks officials said the plan is in its very early stages, with design reviews for the café slated for next year and the marina in 2029.
Liam Quigley is a reporter covering parks & sanitation for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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