Belle Shores Condominium

Welcome to our treasured strip of land nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and Jamaica Bay. The air is salty, the ground sandy. The weather is more temperate than on the mainland, cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. We have a thriving arts community with art galleries, live theater, outdoor concerts, and major arts and crafts shows which all take place right in the middle of our national park, Gateway National Recreation Area. We love it here and so will you.

Community Details:

Location: Multiple residences on Shore Front Parkway between Beach 100th and 101st streets in Rockaway Park, NY.

County: Queens

Houses of worship: 9 Protestant Churches, 9 Baptist Churches, 7 Synagogues, and 6 Catholic Churches

Type of Home : Multi-family low-rise condominium

Closest City: Manhattan
40 minutes by car
50 minutes by the A Line subway

We send a warm welcome to our new neighbors; you are going to love living here and wonder why you never discovered it before! Adjusting to a new community can be a big deal. To ease your way we have a local guide available with information to help you navigate through your new community; be sure to ask for a copy. In this guide, you will find out who your  local government representatives and how to contact them.

You'll find the peninsula religious institutions are listed as well as local preschools, nurseries, and public and private schools. Sports organizations offer after school, weekend and summer activities for children. We have the only beaches dedicated to surfing in New York City and six miles of boardwalk along a beautiful beachfront. Our event calendar lists activities to help keep you busy all year long. Rockaway has a community organization in every neighborhood and social clubs and organizations to answer almost every need. Get involved, volunteer, meet your neighbor, and make lasting friends. The Rockaway Chamber of Commerce is another tremendous resource, that is committed to nurturing our continued growth as a community: they can be reached at (718) 634 - 1300. So once again, we welcome you to our small town of Rockaway.

Ferry service to link Rockaway peninsula with Manhattan gets promise of city funds in Bloomberg plan

After several attempts to bring commuter ferries to the Rockaway peninsula, the city floated the idea again recently with a new twist: a promise of significant public subsidies.
"The question was never 'Should we do it?', but 'How can we do this?'" Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a news conference on the Rockaway boardwalk announcing that the city is seeking ferry proposals from private operators.

"It takes a lot of money to get a boat and it takes a while to build an audience," Bloomberg said.

"One of the things we can do is to give people some support until it gets going."

The willingness to foot part of the bill for a Rockaways ferry marks a reversal of the city's position from two years ago, when the Department of Transportation said of such a service: "Our policy is not to be involved in subsidies."

Past efforts to connect the Rockaways to Manhattan by boat have been sunk by high costs.

A pilot weekend ferry in 2003 failed because of its price - $26 round trip.

Since then, the DOT has twice proposed a Rockaway Ferry, but was unable to find any takers.

This time, city officials said, they would like to keep the fare at $6 each way (the same as express bus service into Manhattan).

"I think you're going to see something happen because the city has said this time they're willing to provide some assistance," said Jim DeSimone, Chief of Ferry Operations for the Department of Transportation.

Bloomberg said the amount of the city subsidy won't be determined until companies submit proposals to the Economic Development Corp. City Councilman Joseph Addabbo estimated it would cost the city at least $1 million a year to make the ferry service attractive for a private operator to run.

"You've got a population growth here like no other place in the city and it can support a ferry, if the deal is structured correctly," Addabbo said.

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Forest Hills), in a statement, said the city had committed $3  to $6 million for a 3 year pilot program. In 2004, Weiner secured $15 million in federal transportation funds, which has not yet been spent, to buy three boats for a Rockaways ferry service.

City transportation officials envision a ferry between Riis Landing and Pier 11 in lower Manhattan, although private operators may propose other stops in Manhattan or Brooklyn to increase ridership.

With the average commute from the Rockaways to Manhattan clocking in at between 90 minutes and 2 hours each way, residents said they hope this ferry plan sticks. The city estimates a ferry would take about 45 minutes to an hour each way.

"Rockaway is a hidden jewel in New York City and we need to get better transportation here," said Mary Dever Kelly of the Rockaway Park Home and Residents Association.