In what is becoming as much of a fall tradition as the turning of the leaves, the New York Water Taxi may once again have to temporarily shut down its East River commuter ferry commuter service unless a city subsidy comes through?necessary because ridership drops by half during wintertime. This would be the third time in four years the ferry service?pitched as an amenity by developers building luxury condos in subway-inconvenient waterfront locales?would be halted. It was one year ago when Elizabeth Mulvihill sadly gazed out the windows of her $1.04 million Schaefer Landing apartment and described how South Williamsburg and its lack of services (such as the unreliable ferry to Manhattan) had left her feeling isolated, stranded and depressed.
This time around the NYT heads back to Schaefer Landing for reaction, and one resident says losing the ferry service would "cause him to strongly consider moving." Why doesn't he just schlep to the L train? "Horribly overpopulated." New York Water Taxi needs about $900,000 in subsidies each year, and while there's a hope a deal may still get worked out, the Times notes that, "Many of the passengers live in luxury developments like Schaefer Landing. Privately, officials say they would feel more comfortable putting money into a service with more stops and a broader cross section of passengers." Maybe a few more Schaefer Landing short sales will change their opinion of the building's alleged chichi makeup.
· East River Commuter Ferry Service Could Be Halted, Again [NYT]
· New York Water Taxi coverage [Curbed]
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