La Marina has officially lost, well … la marina.
A judge yanked the license to run the Dyckman Street Boat Marina from the owners of the embattled Inwood hotspot La Marina, ending their seven-year hold over the Hudson River dock.
Still unclear is the fate of the popular restaurant, which the city wants to boot, leaving the prime waterfront attraction shuttered — perhaps for good.
“Summer is fleeting,” Robert Rattet, an attorney for Manhattan River Group told U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Sean Lane last week, urging him to resolve La Marina’s case as soon as possible. “The restaurant season here is very short.”
Lane terminated the Manhattan River Group’s hold on the marina – and ordered the company to clear out property and supplies from the docks by July 4, the court order shows.
The decree followed months of negotiations with the Parks Department after La Marina’s owners filed for bankruptcy in January. That move came after a chaotic year for the venue that included a liquor license suspension and drug bust.
The judge’s decision brings the boat dock under city control, the Parks Department said.
Crystal Howard, a Parks Department spokesperson, said the city hopes to have some marina services, including docking and ramp use, up and running as soon as possible.
“We plan to operate the marina directly, and are working diligently so we can open the space to the public this summer,” Howard said by email.
Brother Jimmy’s in the Wings
Parks’ goal to have a full-service marina — similar to other department-operated maritime facilities, like the 79th Street Boat Basin — going by next summer.
Both sides are set to return to court in June with the restaurant’s fate in the balance.
La Marina’s owners are hoping that by agreeing to give up the marina, the Parks Department will be more amenable to letting them keep the restaurant.
“We have been unable to move forward with the discussions with the restaurant … without first resolving the marina issue with the city. So, this will hopefully resolve it,” Rattet said in court.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Goldman, owner of the Brother Jimmy’s barbeque restaurants, has attended court hearings with La Marina’s owners with an eye on helping them reopen the space.
Goldman told THE CITY earlier this month that he’s ready, if necessary, to work without a liquor license, which La Marina recently lost for good.
In the meantime, those who want to use the Dyckman Marina are stuck.
Boats for Hudson River Community Sailing are currently tied up on the docks there, but temporarily not in use while the marina changes hands.
The nonprofit operated at the marina in recent years under a previous agreement with Manhattan River Group. Now, the group is in communication with the Parks Department to determine next steps for its summer season. HRCS said it hopes to continue its normal programming soon, which includes sailing education for the public and an after school program with local public schools.
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