Manhattan is surrounded by water, but the island doesn’t have a single public beach. That changes this summer with Gansevoort Peninsula, a long-in-the-works West Side park that will extend right up to the Hudson River’s edge. It is designed by James Corner Field Operations (JCFO).

Plans for the 5.5-acre park were first announced in 2019 by Manhattan nonprofit Hudson River Park Trust. In 2021 the nonprofit issued Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for the construction of the park, which also kicked off that spring.

While visitors can sunbathe on the shore, swimming won’t be allowed at Gansevoort Peninsula. (Despite its murky appearance, the river is generally suitable for swimming.)

In addition to the beach, The Whitney–adjacent 5.5-acre park includes a soccer field, a kayak launch, a salt marsh, and a dog run. It will be inserted between Little Island at Pier 55 and David Hammons’ and David Hammons’s Day’s End sculpture, and a sports field. The only swimmers at the pier are oysters, seeded in small beds just north of the park.

According to the Trust, Gansevoort Peninsula was largely financed by the City of New York through restricted funds distributed to the Trust.

“We think that the configuration of the site is unique,” Hudson River Park Trust Noreen Doyle told the Daily Beast. “Most of our park piers are long and skinny, and in this case, we have a wide, five and a half acre expanse that will give people a unique perspective on the water, on the Hudson, on our city landscape and on our neighboring piers.”