The Coalition to Restore Dyckman Marina (CRDM) is composed of residents and community groups from the Inwood & Washington Heights area of Manhattan. We were concerned about the many issues created by the Department of Parks and Recreation in how they allowed their concession located at Dyckman Marina to operate as a nightclub and concert venue from 2012-2018. Years of effort went into crafting a concession agreement that worked for both Parks and the neighborhood for an open-access restaurant and cafe; this agreement was formally approved by the requisite oversight agencies but was all but ignored after the concession opened in 2012. Until 2018 there was almost no enforcement of the many violations of the written contract by Parks or any other New York City agency.
The files on this site documented this inequitable treatment by government agencies and the resulting problems.
This late-night club/concert scene was in breach of the concession contract and yet happened every single warm weather weekend for six years. This political protection was later tied to a prominent corruption scandal.
The original goal of the Coalition was to restore the concession to its original intent, a full-service Restaurant and Marina, as per the 2009 License Agreements, the approved Site Plan and the public architectural renderings presented to various agencies. As of 2021 that goal has largely been achieved despite the repeated errors, misdeeds and non-actions of elected officials and the DPR.
As originally presented to the public, the concession was to be a welcome family and community-friendly restaurant and grounds, with waterfront access for recreation. What the community got instead from 2012-2018 was very different.
In 2019 the site was partitioned to restore the defunct marina to public use as a NYC Parks-operated facility, and the restaurant concession emerged from bankruptcy court under new ownership as The Hudson. Per the court settlement, there are strict stipulations to ensure it operates as a family-friendly restaurant and not a massive nightlife concert venue. After a fall preview, it opened in late May 2020 for its first full season, operating under a yet-to-be-released amendment of the original 15 year concession license. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic the new restaurant has done well and continues to thrive in 2021.
We will continue to monitor the situation and the use of this wonderful neighborhood asset in Upper Manhattan to ensure there is no corruption or abuse of the facility as in years past. Please send an email to restoredyckmanmarina@gmail.com if you would like to register your support and be kept informed of future developments. We welcome support from individuals, co-op boards, tenant associations, community groups and local business owners.
Welcome to our new neighbor, The Hudson, and best wishes for a family-friendly operation in compliance with the concession agreement.
Restore Dyckman Marina 
08/30/2014 at 1:06 PM
We hate the traffic backing up onto the Henry Hudson Parkway and intoxicated people disturbing our peace at all hours, while stumbling along our sidewalks (right outside our apartment windows) to their cars!
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09/03/2014 at 5:26 AM
I know the existing place causes traffic. Definitely one of the top complaints. No one never mentions that to cross the blue bridge it cost 5 dollars. 2.50 with ez -pass. I’m sure the High price contributes to the traffic on Dyckman.. They should remove the toll fee or at least charge only coming into Manhattan. Many people get off at dyckman and cross the 225 street bridge to get to the Bronx. This would definitely help. No one never mentions this it;s always blamed on the established businesses.
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09/12/2014 at 5:20 PM
Not relevant to the topic of this page. While the toll bridge undoubtedly sends unnecessary traffic through Inwood, it is constant. It has been shown that on nights when there is no nightclub or concert use at the concession the background traffic in Inwood is busy but flows just fine. No one ever expects a neighborhood in Manhattan to have no traffic at all, but the specific way the concession is being operated is what is causing traffic to back up and disrupt quality of life.
Please stay on topic or comments will not be approved.
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04/29/2015 at 4:45 AM
The price of the toll does not ever cause a traffic jam on the Henry Hudson Parkway! I’ve lived here for 13 years and have only had to sit in traffic in the last few years, on the weekends when La Marina is open and the police have to block off streets to prevent all of these “toll avoiders” from trying to drive west on Dyckman Street towards La Marina- they aren’t headed towards the Broadway bridge to the Bronx. If they were, they’d zip through the lights on Riverside Drive and be out of our hood in seconds, or minutes.
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08/30/2014 at 4:17 PM
How about getting a copy of the agreements and site plans and occupying the VIP section with about two hundred residents on a busy night? Alert the press and raise a stir…
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08/31/2014 at 10:00 AM
I agree with Josh’s idea – I would be happy to be one of those two hundred residents 🙂
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08/31/2014 at 10:13 PM
isnt there a local restaurant owner who is also connected to Marina and who also has some sort of official presence in the local community?
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09/01/2014 at 10:27 PM
Our biggest problems with La Marina is the noise on Sunday nights/Monday mornings that it brings to our community. The restaurant should not be permitted to operate past 11 PM on Sunday night, and the number of concerts that it holds needs to be regulated by the Parks Department. The area is not conducive to safe operations with so many people driving to the venue and entering/exiting along one strip. The illegal valet parking only encourages more people to drive and should not be allowed to continue. We regularly witness people littering, smashing bottles, blasting music late at night from cars, fighting, and going to the bathroom between parked cars in the streets around La Marina.
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09/02/2014 at 1:42 AM
Fernando Mateo …he a major player on the TLC and ex bloomberg crony [comment edited]
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09/12/2014 at 5:21 PM
Sorry for editing the above but this is a public website and any comments containing personal attacks will be moderated.
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09/21/2014 at 3:06 AM
loud noise all nite long – outsiders coming to the neighborhood that do not care about the residents – garbage everywhere – just a disgusting situation across the board.
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09/30/2014 at 4:42 AM
Want change? Write in “Rita McKee” for Congress in NY13.
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02/07/2015 at 2:11 AM
We need Preet Bharara to bring the feds to Inwood. This is a much deeper story than the marina. Look at what has happened to Inwood over the past decade. Look at who owns the establishments. Look at the SLA. Look at the local politicos. Total Corruption.
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03/16/2015 at 11:45 AM
I would like to know how they are able to take all the parking for Valet and charge 20 dallors a car????
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06/29/2016 at 12:57 PM
I saw the article in the NY Post that links to your blog. The blog was a smart move As it seems the city is claiming there were not regular complaints about the parties, but clearly you’ve documented a lot of it. It’s clear from the article the ties that Mr. Mateo fundraised for DeBlasio and did some blatantly illegal bundling. Good to see it being investigated finally. Maybe you will see some action now that the investigation has begun. Or maybe it will take a conviction. Sad to see a politician holding your hold neighborhood hostage but it’s patently obvious that’s what is happening. Good luck!
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05/19/2019 at 6:22 PM
(This just got posted in Dyckman City Marina — 5/19/19 — which appears to be a proxy website for La Marina’s previous owners/managers and whatever following they may retain. I stumbled across it.)
Are you kidding us? Another company, both with some of the same principals and/or managers? Illegal valet parking? Out-of state and out-of-town visitors exacerbating the already-high asthma rate? Noise and litter? Traffic will likely outrageous. (Closing La Marina hasn’t done much reduce noise and traffic.)
You think that putting up another business with a family-friendly name (a partnership with former La Marina principals?) is going to make neighbors happy? Do you think that we trust the politicians and/or city officials who have benefited — or will benefit — from past and future arrangements?
Sleight-of-hand name changes and gushing PR don’t cut it. Our neighborhood’s BS detectors are excellent.
The developing lawsuit against Inwood’s re-zoning — which was mightily opposed by a diverse group of neighbors — might serve as a cautionary tale.
Restore Dyckman Marina and grant it not-for-profit stewardship.
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09/09/2020 at 8:34 PM
The work that has gone into this website is extraordinary and encouraging. I don’t live in Inwood, but I empathize. Civic groups across the city should look to this site as a model for well-researched activism. Thank you!
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