Hudson River Park Trust to issue RFP for Pier 40 indoor space after unauthorized work; community urges P3 stay

Hudson River Park Trust said it will issue a request for proposals to select an operator for the rent-free interior space at Pier 40 after the Trust terminated a long-standing permit following unauthorized construction, Trust President and CEO Noreen Doyle told Manhattan City Community Board members and a packed public meeting on Oct. 27.

The Park Trust emphasized it has committed to retain the space for nonprofit, noncommercial youth sports while it runs a procurement process. “Hudson River Park loves youth sports,” Doyle said, and the Trust “immediately announced at that time that the space would remain for nonprofit, noncommercial, public benefit youth sports space.” She told the meeting the Trust expects to publish the RFP within about one to two weeks and to try to select an operator quickly “to minimize the interruption.”

The procurement followed the Trust's discovery earlier this year of significant, unauthorized construction inside the interior space used by P3, the volunteer-run youth baseball and softball program that has operated there for roughly 27 years. Doyle said the permitted agreement contained prohibitions on that kind of work and that the Trust, as steward of public property, had to act.

Dozens of speakers urged the Trust to keep P3 or an equivalent community-focused nonprofit as the indoor operator. Council Member Christopher Marte told the meeting he supported P3 and warned an open procurement could displace the current provider: “I have my full support. I think P3 should remain here, indefinitely, if we can,” he said. Dan Miller, who said he has stepped up as incoming chair of P3, told the board the program has deep community ties and that losing the indoor facility would be a major blow to downtown youth baseball and softball.

Speakers described how the space is used: training camps, winter workouts, after-school pickup and holiday programming. Tony Ann Bonade, president of Greenwich Village Little League, said P3 serves large numbers of children year-round: “Every year we send over a thousand kids through those doors,” she said, and added that indoor cages and training are essential to baseball and softball development during the cold months. Downtown Little League president Maureen Ninomiya said her league fields 85 teams and that Pier 40 is the most accessible indoor option for many downtown families.

Parents, coaches and players described P3 as a low-cost, high-access program that combines paid programming (summer camp weeks, holiday camps and after-school classes) with league partnerships and scholarship support. One speaker cited a typical summer-camp price the organization charges (about $450 per week, with reported early-bird rates lower), and several cited the leagues' spring fees and HRPT's $25-per-league-per-season field permitting fee; Doyle confirmed the Trust controls and permits the outdoor fields separately and that the $25 per league figure applies to field permits.

Doyle told the board the Park Trust's operating model is largely self-supporting through leases and permits across the park, and that modern, written permit terms would replace an older permit the organization said lacked specific public-benefit standards. She said the Trust will shape the RFP in part based on input from the public meeting and that the Trust, not the community board, will make the final selection.

No formal vote or resolution was taken by the community board at the meeting. Doyle said the Trust will publish the RFP on its website and accept responses; interviews and evaluation would follow. She reiterated that the Trust's objective is to choose an operator that provides a broad public benefit for youth sports and to keep the space rent-free for that purpose.

Speakers at the meeting represented organized leagues, schools and families across downtown Manhattan. Multiple parents and youth described the facility as a 'third place' where children gain skills, mentorship and community. Coaches and long-time volunteers stressed continuity and coaching relationships as factors the Trust should weigh in the procurement.

The Trust said it will also seek clearer operational terms in a modern permit. Doyle acknowledged that issuing an RFP is a standard public-procurement step for public spaces and said the meeting would help the Trust draft questions and criteria that reflect community priorities. She also noted the Trust controls outdoor field scheduling directly and that any new permit for the interior would be structured to reflect public-benefit goals tied to the adjacent fields.

The procurement timeline presented by the Trust aimed to limit disruption, but speakers warned that any gap in indoor access could damage the leagues' year-round programming and player development. Several speakers asked the Trust to weigh continuity, affordability and the current provider's long community ties when evaluating proposals.

The Trust will post the RFP and supporting documents online and accept proposals; the Trust will review responses and decide on a permit holder. Community board members said they would publish meeting notes and the meeting video for public review.