The Upper East Side, Astoria Direct Ferry Service Approved!!!!
rkhuzami After 2 years of advocating for direct ferry service between Astoria and the Upper East Side, OANA was notified today that the service has been approved and is set to begin THIS SATURDAY!!!
Patience can be a virtue, and this is an example!!
Support and participation from the local community has been paramount in the success of this campaign. It was also the combined effort of local elected officials, especially Councilman Costa Constantinides, and community leaders from our NYCHA campuses such as Claudia Cogar of Astoria Houses and Bishop Mitchell Taylor of Urban Upbound that made this possible.
OANA created petitions; surveys; and held public meetings with the NYC EDC and Ferry Operator Hornblower since 2018. We have felt that this service would help activate our neighborhood in many ways, economic, cultural, healthcare, jobs: all urgently needed for our long-neglected neighborhood. Historically we are the victims of “Red Lining”: denial of funding to keep the Astoria Waterfront growing with the rest of the greater Western Queens community.
This is a step in remedying this situation. It brings the jobs, healthcare, and transit options that the UES of Manhattan can bring to Old Astoria, and we provide cultural, recreational, and housing options to the UES. Also, this is another tool to help our local Astoria small business, so fragile during the COVID pandemic.
This service existed in the early 20th century. We have finally caught up with the past!
Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard to make this a reality!
Richard Khuzami
Mr. Khuzami has been a member of Community Board 1 in Astoria, NY for the last 20 years. He sits on the Zoning and parks Committees and is on the Executive Board. Previously, he served as Parks and Culture chair of Community Board 1 for eleven years and also chaired Capital and Expense priority Committee. He is a member of the Queens General Assembly and had been a panelist for grant submissions for the Queens Council on the Arts (QCA). Richard also is an officer of The Eastern Mediterranean Business Culture Alliance (EMBCA) and President of OANA.