Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NYPD Tow Pound Leaving Manhattan's Pier 76 By End Of January, City Promises
By
Sophia Chang
Published Jan 2, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Google Maps
By
Sophia Chang
Published Jan 2, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A major obstacle to the development of Pier 76 at the Hudson River Park on the west side of Manhattan will be gone by the end of January, now that the city has promised to move out the NYPD tow pound after the state threatened massive fines.
“The City has already made major strides and significant financial investment in relocating Police Department operations from Pier 76, including moving the horse stables for the Mounted Unit that were located at the pier,” First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan wrote in a letter Dec. 31st to state officials published by NY1. “We expect to have completely vacated the site by the end of January.”
The move of the 250,000-square-foot NYPD tow pound from Pier 76—located between 36th and 37th streets and the West Side Highway—has been underway for more than two decades since the passage of the Hudson River Park Act of 1998. The tow pound, in operation since 1977, processes about 195 vehicles per day.
Governor Andrew Cuomo forced a deadline of December 31st, 2020 for the city to move the tow pound, with a fine of $12 million for missing the deadline and another $3 million every month after February 1st. In November, the Hell’s Kitchen Neighborhood Association, a neighborhood group, sued the NYPD over the delayed move as well.
While Mayor Bill de Blasio and the NYPD have opposed the move, calling Cuomo’s deadline “unrealistic,” Fuleihan’s letter indicates they are nonetheless moving out.
“We are arranging temporary alternate accommodations for the vehicles currently occupying the lot,” Fuleihan wrote.
While the city hasn’t announced a new home for the tow pound, Gotham Gazette reported the city is interested in a lot on West 45th Street that’s currently used for bus parking and a pedestrian bridge for the Intrepid Museum, as well as another site on West 33rd near the Javits Center.
Half the pier would be used to generate revenue with potential commercial development, while the other half would be park space, according to a February 2019 financing plan.
Tagged
nypd
pier 76
Hudson River Park
Sophia Chang
Sophia Chang is a former WNYC and Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .