Coney Island "Renaissance"

[ZippyTheChimp]

04.01.2009


Coney's New Big Top

Grimshaw-designed amphitheater to
become latest Coney Island icon


http://www.archpaper.com/uploads/image/090327_cic_back_upper.jpg
Grimshaw has designed a new amphitheater as part of the Coney Center.
Courtesy Grimshaw


It has been rough sailing out at Coney Island of late, with the destruction of Astroland last winter and simmering tensions about the city’s rezoning proposal. But good news has started to trickle in this week, with the announcement Monday that $15 million in stimulus money would go toward replacing parts of the decaying boardwalk. That was followed yesterday by word of the possible creation of an “interim” amusement park next year so the summer escape will not be a total wasteland when the city rebuilds it.

And now comes the biggest show by the sea since Dreamland burned down, the new Coney Center, a $47 million amphitheater designed by Grimshaw. The project will replace a 1980s bandshell located in Asser Levy Park (http://www.brooklynpaper.com/assets/photos/31/44/31_44_asserlevybandshell_z.jpg) with a new 8,000-seat entertainment complex meant to attract marquee acts. Capping it all is a swooping, 60,000-square-foot roof in the shape of a hyperbolic paraboloid—picture a massive Pringles potato chip, but made of steel and translucent fiberglass, supercharged by hundreds of strobing stage lights.

Mark Husser, the partner-in-charge, sees the theater as the latest in a long line of Coney icons, both historic and geographic: the Parachute Jump, Keyspan Park, the defunct Elephant Hotel, the Cyclone, and now Coney Center. “What is the context of Coney Island? It’s that there is no context,” Husser said. “Everything is unique, everything is a spectacle, but in that uniqueness, Coney’s icons find unity.”



http://www.archpaper.com/uploads/090327_cic_night_aerial.jpg
The roof took the form of a hyperbolic paraboloid that helped keep weight—and thus costs—down.


Borough President Marty Markowitz first announced the “state-of-the-art recreation facility” in his 2007 State of the Borough address, with the intention of competing with the other summer concert venues in the area, like Jones Beach and Westbury. While smaller than some of its rivals—the former holds 18,000—the real attraction is new amenities, such as green rooms, of which there are currently none, and a better sound and lighting system, not to mention the appeal of Coney Island itself and its proximity to the city.

And while amenities and location are nice, the real hallmark of Coney Center is its shimmering roof. Husser said the shape was chosen for a number of reasons, mainly the lightness of its structure. “It’s like a bicycle wheel with a massive steel rim and a ring at the middle for a hub,” he explained. “It’s a much lighter structure than one operated by trusses.” By bending the roof, it provides its own tension and thus requires less structure, which means less weight and less cost. The shape also helps minimize noise to adjacent housing and keep out the rain. The peaked end at the east side also achieves one of the project’s other main goals: to create a new gateway for Coney Island on perhaps its most common point of entry, Ocean Parkway. (Far more people drive to the area each year than ride the subway.)

At one point, the designers had considered a retractable roof, but a number of issues prevented its inclusion. First, the cost of construction and maintenance would have been considerable, especially given the corrosive seaside air. But more importantly, Coney Center is intended as a year-round facility: During the off-season, the 5,000 fixed seats beneath the canopy will be removed and replaced with an ice-skating rink.



http://www.archpaper.com/uploads/090327_cic_night_lower_walkway.jpg
The amphitheater has seating for 8,000 and is intended to draw bigger acts to the Coney Island shore.


Beyond the amphitheater, Grimshaw is also redesigning the playground that currently sits in the park, both to modernize it and because it is located on the footprint of the new and expanded back-of-the-house. Working with landscape architects Mathews Nielsen, the designers have created an elevated climbing structure that wends its way up, down, and around trees. The idea is to disrupt as few trees as possible while also creating a structure that recalls the nearby roller coaster. The team will also refurbish the popular handball courts across Surf Avenue.

Through a spokesperson, Markowitz praised the park as the latest step in the revitalization of Coney Island. “Replacing Asser Levy’s antiquated band shell with a state-of-the-art one will ensure that free community programming—it was used for 45 different community events last year—remains in Coney Island,” he said. “Moreover, it will be a key component of a revitalized Coney Island for the community and visitors in the days ahead.”

The project has come under some fire from locals who have complained about the possibility of increased noise and crowds, as well as the fact that some concerts will be paid, instead of free. But both the borough president and the designers counter that money generated from paid shows will go to putting on more free ones. “It’s win-win for the community and the city,” Husser said.

Construction is due to begin at the end of this summer’s concert searon, and the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2011.

Matt Chaban

Copyright © 2003-2008 | The Architect's Newspaper, LLC.

[brianac]

Sitt Consultants Attack Coney Plan as City Offers $105 M. for Land (http://www.observer.com/2009/real-estate/sitt-consultants-attack-coney-plan-city-offers-105-m-land-0)

By Eliot Brown (http://www.observer.com/author/eliot-brown/)
April 1, 2009 | 5:38 p.m

It’s now been over two years since the Bloomberg administration began its public battle with Coney Island landlord Joe Sitt, frequently raining criticism on his plans for the Brooklyn amusement hub at public forums and in the press. Mr. Sitt is the largest landowner in the central amusement district and has resisted the city’s plans to revamp the area, saying it would be economically unviable.

The latest turn in the unending face off—the city is attempting to buy Mr. Sitt’s land, though the two sides are far apart in their prices—came as Mr. Sitt enlisted a string of consultants to question the economic feasibility of the city’s plan at a City Council hearing on Wednesday, at the same time that the city made a new offer of $105 million for his land. That’s down from $110 million, an offer made last fall during negotiations that fell apart.

At the hearing, consultants for Mr. Sitt raised a series of objections to the city’s planned rezoning, characterizing it as unrealistic and financially unfeasible. (The city wants to buy the land in the amusement district just north of the beach and bid it out to a developer that would build hotels, retail, and indoor and outdoor rides to create a year-round destination.)

“The mistake in the city’s plan is fundamental urban planning,” Jeff Lococo, an amusement consultant, said in prepared testimony. Under the proposed plan, he said in the testimony, “the entire redevelopment district will become seasonal in nature and thus cannot economically sustain itself.”

City officials have said their plan seeks to strike a balance between the current setup—where vacant lots dominate the area—and a zoning that would allow for residential, which would clearly be financially viable, but would weaken the amusement focus of the district.

While the Bloomberg administration does not need to remove Mr. Sitt in order to rezone the area, without his cooperation, it’s hard to see how the amusement area would undergo the revitalization the city envisions.

Of course, it’s still early in the game. The Bloomberg administration is in the midst of the public approval process for its planned rezoning, and any deals struck traditionally happen at the end of that process. The City Council is slated to vote on the administration's plan this summer.

http://www.observer.com/2009/real-estate/sitt-consultants-attack-coney-plan-city-offers-105-m-land-0

Copyright The New York Observer

[BrooklynRider]

Coney Boardwalk could be ‘Sitt’-ing pretty

By Mike McLaughlin
The Brooklyn Paper

All but one of the Boardwalk entrepreneurs in Coney Island will be back this summer, ending months of uncertainty (http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/32/1/32_1_mm_boardwalk.html)as the merchants hammered out deals with their landlord, Thor Equities, the main landowner in the amusement area.

The announcement on Monday that Cha Cha’s, Ruby’s Old Tyme Bar, Shoot the Freak and others will be back for at least one more season on the Riegelmann Boardwalk comes amid a stepped-up campaign by Thor owner Joe Sitt to show that he is providing a bustling, boisterous summer of activity on his 10-1/2 acres between the Cyclone roller coaster and Keyspan Park.
Sitt also recently announced a so-called “Festival by the Sea,” which will feature dozens of rides and sideshow acts on West 10th Street and a flea market on Stillwell Avenue.

“This summer will be the best we have had in decades, as the Festival is bringing new rides, new vendors, better freaks and filling the Boardwalk with the institutions that have been here for generations,” Sitt boldly predicted in a statement.

The tenants rejoiced, too, although their rents were raised this season.

“We are thrilled to be coming back and to be a part of the festival,” said John Ciarco the bar owner of Cha Cha’s.

Coney Island appeared headed towards a hard luck summer season with Astroland closed, leaving only one full-fledged amusement park in operation — Deno’s Wonder Wheel.
But the People’s Playground may actually benefit from the current game of one-upsmanship between Sitt and the city, which wants to buy his land as part of a planned new amusement park, hotels and attractions. Sitt is holding out for a higher offer than the $105-million deal proffered earlier this month (http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/32/13/32_13_mm_coney.html).

The city unveiled its ace in the hole last Friday (http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/32/16/32_16_mm_ringling.html), announcing that Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus was booked for a special summer engagement in Coney Island, too.
Sitt reputation was damaged with many people in Coney Island when he did not renew Astroland’s lease last September (http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/31/36/31_36_mm_astroland.html). The park has since closed.

That was followed by unexpectedly foisting “For Lease” signs on all of his properties on Christmas Eve, dampening the holiday spirit of the tenants.

The one Boardwalk lease that Thor did not renew belonged to Dianna Carlin, the owner of Lola Staar, a T-shirt boutique, whose owner had been an outspoken critic of the real-estate company. The shop will reopen, possibly on Memorial Day weekend, at a kiosk in the Stillwell Avenue subway station (http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/32/1/32_1_mm_boardwalk.html).

She panned Sitt’s record as a landlord.

“He’s not about building his tenant-landlord relationships,” Carlin told The Brooklyn Paper. “It’s about his negotiations with the city and making as much money as possible.”

©2009 The Brooklyn Paper

http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/32/16/32_16_mm_boardwalk.html

[BrooklynRider]

As a life-lomg lover and supporter of Coney Island, I've got to say. "It is a complete dump."

1. Nathans (the only reason to visit C.I.)

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[BrooklynRider]

THE CYCLONE NOW COSTS $8 PER RIDE AND THE RIDE IS BUMPIER AND ROUGHER THAN IN YEARS AND DECADES PAST.

1.
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[BrooklynRider]

1.

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[BrooklynRider]

Sitt on it (not!) — Joe’s Coney ‘Festival’ suffers setback
By Mike McLaughlin
The Brooklyn Paper: May 14, 2009

In an embarrassing setback, Coney Island’s would-be savior, developer Joe Sitt, has postponed his highly publicized grand opening of rides, freak shows and vendors that were scheduled to debut this weekend due.

Sitt’s “Festival by the Sea” has been hyped for months and will still open this weekend in Coney Island, but only half of the 25 rides will be on hand at the West 10th Street and Surf Avenue site. Sitt’s bazaar of food, crafts and knickknack vendors will be nearby, but they will be exposed to the elements because of a tent mishap.

“There’s still going to be a lot going on,” said Loren Riegelhaupt, a Sitt spokesman.
Mac Support Store

Coney Island visitors can expect the full monty by Memorial Day weekend, the traditional start to the summer season, Riegelhaupt added.

But Sitt’s company, Thor Equities, has not succeeded in past summers with temporary rides and attractions to fill vacant lots in the company’s portfolio of 10-1/2 acres in the historic People’s Playground. Last year, Sitt’s self-described “The Summer of Hope” turned into the summer of nope when carnies packed up their rides and departed earlier than promised.

This summer’s rough start is just a fluke, affirmed Riegelhaupt.

“We’re very committed to Coney. We’ve invested a tremendous amount of time, energy and money in the festival, and we think it’s going to be great,” he said.

In the past, Sitt says he wants to build a modern Xanadu of rides, hotels and shopping in the rundown amusement area, but his plans have been blocked by Mayor Bloomberg’s own proposal to buy Sitt’s acreage, combine it with other city-owned property, and build a new amusement park between the Cyclone roller coaster and Keyspan Park.

Private developers would be able to build hotels and other tourist attractions in the vicinity, under the mayor’s rezoning plan, which is nearing final approval in the city’s land-use review process.

Sitt’s detractors crowed upon hearing that the “Festival by the Sea” had been blown off course.

“Amusements aren’t his industry,” said Dianna Carlin, the founder of the Lola Staar T-shirt boutique, referring to Sitt’s background as a shopping mall developer and land speculator. “He obviously doesn’t have the necessary experience in the amusement business.”

Carlin’s shop was a Boardwalk tenant of Sitt, but he did not renew her lease because of her history of criticizing him. She’s relocated to the Stillwell Avenue subway station and plans to reopen on Memorial Day weekend.

But in Coney Island, where the success of one merchant in the tourist business impinges on the success of everyone, even Carlin didn’t laugh long.

“I hope he succeeds, because Coney Island needs more amusements,” she said.

[BrooklynRider]

NYCEDC Press release (rec'd via email)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DEPUTY MAYOR LIEBER, NYC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORP. PRESIDENT SETH W. PINSKY, PREMIER RIDES, INC. PRESIDENT JIM SEAY AND CONEY ISLAND AMUSEMENT ADVISORY PANEL ANNOUNCE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AMUSEMENT PARK DEVELOPMENT IN CONEY ISLAND

Panelists Present Seven Principles to Help Guide Development of a 21st Century, 27-Acre Year-Round Amusement and Entertainment Destination Building Affordable and Attractive Neighborhoods is Part of City’s Five Borough Economic Opportunity Plan New York City,

May 14, 2009 – Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert C. Lieber, New York City Economic Development Corp. (NYCEDC)
President Seth W. Pinsky and Premier Rides, Inc. President Jim Seay were joined today by members of the Coney Island Amusement Advisory Panel to announce findings and recommendations for the development of a new 21st Century, 27-acre amusement and entertainment district at Coney Island, Brooklyn.

The recommendations follow three days of workshops and discussions focused on branding, marketing, planning, programming and development at Coney Island, and will be used by the City to shape and inform development plans.

“With the rezoning of Coney Island underway, we are focused on ensuring that the amusement area is a vibrant and dynamic district for generations to come,” said Deputy Mayor Lieber. “We’ve called on the leaders of the amusement industry to help develop the best strategies for growing and enhancing this iconic part of New York City. I want to thank Jim Seay and the members of this advisory panel for their dedication to the future of Coney Island and look forward to working further with the industry to build a viable 21st century amusement district that leverages its tremendous history and world-wide brand.”

“This was a welcome opportunity for members of the amusement and entertainment community to come together under one roof and discuss the opportunities that exist and the challenges that New York City faces as it undertakes this exciting revitalization of Coney Island,” said Amusement Panel Chair and Premier Rides, Inc. President Jim Seay.

“Coney Island is a brand that means so much to so many, and from what I’ve seen and heard here this week, the private sector believes that the City has put together a plan that will build on the history and enhance one of America’s treasures.”

The panel released seven guiding principles that will assist the City in continued planning efforts for a permanent amusement operation and development of a 27-acre amusement and entertainment district at Coney Island. A final report of the panel’s findings will be released this summer. The principles include:

Leverage Coney Island’s Brand and its Unique Natural and Historical Assets. The ocean, the beach, the Boardwalk and access to the City’s transit system are Coney Island’s greatest assets and draws to visitors. The redevelopment of Coney Island presents an opportunity to create a unique, 21st Century urban seaside amusement park.

Honor and Celebrate Coney Island’s History; But Don’t Get Overly Nostalgic. There is no need for a themed park at Coney Island; the site contains enough history that it doesn’t need to be “Disney-fied.” But while honoring and celebrating Coney Island’s history, the plan shouldn’t “get stuck” on preserving the artifacts. Planning and design should focus on enhancing visitors’ experience.

Get the Core of Coney Island’s Amusement District Right. A critical component of successful development of the area is the programming of the twelve-acre amusement core that faces the Boardwalk. When properly programmed, 12 acres is a sufficient space, and could contain around 30 major amusements, including thrill rides, coasters and other family attractions. The core should be an “Air-In-The-Face” experience, focusing on speed, thrills, and adrenaline.

Expand Coney Island’s Seasonal Core Amusement Experience to the Larger, Year-Round Urban Entertainment District. While parts of the amusement district will be seasonal, the Coney Island experience should extend to the 15-acres outside the amusement core, featuring a critical mass of indoor attractions, rides, restaurants, and hotels. Big-box and mall retail should not be allowed in the entertainment zone; it will erode the amusement district and dilute the brand. Coney Island should be about the totality of the experience across the district and how the indoor and outdoor areas work together.

Coney Island Must Remain Accessible, Open and Affordable. Coney Island should continue to be open and family-friendly. To be successful the area should not be gated, although there are ways to ensure a safe, quality visitor experience through creative operations strategies. Coney Island should not be compared to and will not compete with gated, suburban amusement parks.

City Ownership of Coney Island’s Amusement Area is the Important to Move Forward. The City should own the land in the amusement area, but should leave the development and operations to private partners. The continued Balkanization of Coney Island’s amusement area is unsustainable, and the area will best be developed by a single operator/developer.

DON’T WAIT. There is Only One Chance to Get this Right. The City should think in terms of phased development of the permanent amusements as the infrastructure allows and as is financially feasible. It should begin with the installation of a major rollercoaster followed by additional programming as the infrastructure is built out. The time is now to identify and select a single industry operator/developer to oversee the development. The operator/developer can begin to build permanent amusements and introduce innovative programming before area infrastructure is complete.

New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and the Coney Island Development Corporation (CIDC) convened the Coney Island Amusement Advisory Panel as an independent advisory board comprised of professionals representing a diverse cross-section of the industry. The Panel was moderated by Jack Rouse, CEO of Jack Rouse Associates, a preeminent entertainment design studio credited with developing hundreds of amusement parks, museums, and entertainment projects around the world, with support from Perkins + Will, a leading architecture and planning firm with expertise in branded environments.

“The development of the amusement area is integral to the growth of the neighborhood and the creation of more than 25,000 construction jobs and 6,000 permanent jobs in Coney Island. I want to thank the members of the Coney Island Amusement Advisory Panel for dedicating their time and expertise to this exciting project,” said NYCEDC President Seth W. Pinsky.

Members of the Coney Island Amusement Advisory Panel included: Chip Cleary, Senior VP, Palace Entertainment and First Vice Chair, IAAPA Executive Board; Jim Pattison, President, Ripley Entertainment, Inc.; Tony Catanoso, President & CEO, Atlantic City Steel Pier; Nikki Nolan, Executive VP & Managing Director of International, Great Wolf Resorts; David Rockwell, Founder and CEO, Rockwell Group; Valerio Ferrari, President & CEO, Zamperla USA; Kieran E. Burke, former Chairman and CEO of Six Flags, Inc.; Al Weber, Management Affiliate, MidOcean Partners and former President & CEO, Palace Entertainment; Will Morey and Jack Morey, Co-Owners, The Morey Organization.

About NYCEDC New York City Economic Development Corporation is the City’s primary vehicle for promoting economic growth in each of the five boroughs. NYCEDC’s mission is to stimulate growth through expansion and redevelopment programs that encourage investment, generate prosperity and strengthen the City’s competitive position. NYCEDC serves as an advocate to the business community by building relationships with companies that allow them to take advantage of New York City’s many opportunities.

[BrooklynRider]

ANOTHER WHIRL: NEW COASTER EYED FOR CONEY

May 15, 2009

It's not that they're tired of the rickety, wooden Cyclone, but city officials want a new roller coaster in Coney Island to rival the 81-year-old landmark.

With a temporary amusement park called Dreamland set to open today at the former Astroland Park, the Bloomberg administration considers its plan to boost the fabled shorefront that is now in transition anything but a pipe dream.

A city-appointed panel of amusement industry experts yesterday released recommendations for officials tasked with soliciting proposals from developers interested in building within a planned 27-acre boardwalk amusement and entertainment district.

The panel said 12 acres along the fabled boardwalk is sufficient space to build 30 new major amusements, including a roller coaster with a drop tower, water rides, a "House of Horror," other thrill rides, and rides suitable for kids.

Panelists also said there's no need for a theme park like Disney Land in Coney Island and that while Coney Island's history should be celebrated, the city shouldn't get stuck on preserving artifacts but rather focus on enhancing visitors' experience at an affordable price.

The remaining 15 acres of off-boardwalk property in the district should include indoor amusements, restaurants and hotels but no big-box or mall retail, the panel said.

Meanwhile, workers yesterday were busy at the Astroland site setting up some of the 25 traveling carnival rides that will be part of Dreamland Amusement Park - a temporary fix by developer Joe Sitt, the area's primary landowner, until a new outdoor amusement park is built.

Although the temporary park at the West 10th boardwalk will open today, its official grand opening has been pushed back a week because all of the rides haven't arrived.

The park is part of Sitt's much-hyped "Festival By the Sea" that will also include the opening of a temporary flea market with large tents on the Stillwell Avenue boardwalk nearby. It's part of a $2.5 million investment he says he's making to keep Coney Island from becoming barren this summer.

The city plans to spend tens of thousands of dollars to support the existing Coney Island amusement district this summer. For Coney Island's long-term revitalization, the city has roughly $200 million in capital funds budgeted over the next four years.

That, together with a planned 47-acre rezoning and substantial private investment, is expected to generate more than $14 billion in economic activity over 30 years - even in a dwindling economy, city officials said.

The biggest hurdle to the city's plan, however, is Sitt himself. The city has been unable to reach a deal to buy 10.5 acres of land Sitt owns in the amusement district so it could select another developer to build a new outdoor amusement park.

Both sides have been fighting over Coney Island's future for three years with the city refusing to give the developer zoning changes necessary to build a $1.5 billion Vegas-style amusement and entertainment complex that includes controversial high-rise condos.

The battle has left the amusement district a war casualty, with much of Sitt's land either vacant until now or hosting temporary attractions that haven't been popular.

[BrooklynRider]

May 18, 2009
Group fights Marty’s ‘Potato chip’
By Gersh Kuntzman
The Brooklyn Paper

A handful of protesters rallied on Sunday in Coney Island to protest Borough President Markowitz’s plan for a $64-million amphitheater to replace the band shell in Asser Levy Park.

The protesters claim that Markowitz’s plan violates city law, which forbids amplified music within 500 feet of religious institutions, courts and schools.

Two synagogues are within 300 feet of the planned 8,000-seat theater.

Earlier this year, other protesters complained that the project will not go through the normal review procedure that is typically required for major changes of land use.

Markowitz has said the amphitheater is necessary not only for his own summertime concert series, but to lure beach band business away from concert venues at Jones Beach and in New Jersey.

“The renovation of Asser Levy Park will only enhance the surrounding community,” Markowitz said in a statement. “Residents will benefit from a new playground, park house and community facilities, in addition to upgrades throughout the park. Replacing Asser Levy’s antiquated band shell with a state-of-the-art one will ensure that free cultural programming remains in Coney Island (it was used for 45 different community events last year). Moreover, this beautiful new park will be a key component of a revitalized Coney Island for visitors and the community in the days and years ahead.”

But Al Turk, president of the 45-year-old Temple Beth Abraham, which is on Sea Breeze Avenue, across the street from the proposed theater, complained that Markowitz’s amplified sound would violate city law — and ruin the Jewish Sabbath every Friday night in summer.

“Ask him this,” Turk said, “why does he think he’s above the law?”

©2009 The Brooklyn Paper

[MidtownGuy]

These "community groups" are very frustrating. It's Coney Island, they want quiet Friday nights all year? Move the hell away then, or install soundproofing on the "temple". I'm sure they can afford it. They don't even have to pay taxes and they want to control a whole neighborhood.
Why should an entire city lose out on all of the benefits of this project because of fringe religious groups. Every day I despise organized religion just a little bit more. What arrogance.

[BrooklynRider]

I think that "free concerts by the see" is different than an amphitheater. Markowitz want to hijack a city park (and a popular one at that) for this pure ego project. The concerts have been held at Asser Levy Park for years and he's the only one complaining about the venue.

In the economic crisis, he should be giving up any discretionary funds as the city cuts budgets left and right. He's been yapping about reviving Coney Island for years, so what does he do? He goes outside of the Amusement Zone and hijacks the one place very popular with the locals.

Never has one politician been so out of touch with his constituents.

[SuddenImpact]

Rider, I do far more lurking than posting but almost always agree with you. Not this time. I think the new venue will bring in bigger acts, bring in bigger crowds, expand the amusement area to east of the aquarium, and thus make this (expanded) amusement area more important for us to keep. By "keep" I mean as in condos-free!

More people coming to Coney for concerts (KeySpan, Siren Fest, or at this new venue) = more people who will be made aware of the condos that threaten it.

[BrooklynRider]

But why not use Keyspan Park, which is dark for much of the year?

There's a concert in Coney Island every week or every other week. The Cyclones don't play daily and certainly not every night. Matkowitz is talking about $46 million. Where is THAT money coming from? He only spent a million on the Parachute Jump lighting (which is crap at best). The Pavilion design that won the Van Alen competition has never been built. He is talking about competing with Jones Beach. That is going to make the amphitheater cost prohibitive to many people. It also takes away parkland and turns it over to private interests for profit.

I am totally against land grabs and especially in established parks.

Markowitz has always behaved as if this were HIS park. I've been to the concerts and he acts as though it's his own private affair. Those concerts are funded through tax payers dollars - not his personal banking account. If you follow his endorsements of new construction projects for Brooklyn (not his "policy" becauser Borough President has no say in city policy - it is entirely a ceremonial position) he has been on the wrong side of almost every issue and is constantly backtracking.

That aside, SuddenImpact, I do hope you'll join in the dicussion in this and other threads. We love to hear lots of voices on the forum.:)

[BrooklynRider]

Star from Coney Island's Astroland headed to DC
The Associated Press
2009-05-28 2

WASHINGTON - A piece of Coney Island's history will have a new home at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

Museum officials announced Thursday that an 8-foot-high star from the now closed space-age theme park, Astroland, will become part of the National Air and Space Museum's popular culture collection.

It was one of two spinning stars at Astroland's entrance, installed in 1963 at the height of the space race.

Carol Hill Albert and Jerome Albert, owners of the former Astroland Park, donated the star. Smithsonian curators say it embodies the widespread excitement about human space flight in the 1960s.

The Alberts closed Astroland after failing to reach a lease agreement with a developer who purchased the New York land in 2006.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[SuddenImpact]

Rider, again we're in agreement. 64 Mil is a lot and from those designs I get the feeling that the final price tag will be even higher. I'm also not a fan of how Markowitz has handled any bit of the Coney (remember, at one time Marty was Sitthead's biggest cheerleader) situation. In fact, I'm hoping that a Parachute Jump pavilion never happens b/c w/the space being so small, I can only imagine what junk they'd try cramming that tiny area with. Maybe a smaller version of the flea market?

That said, look at the design!!!

It would be the most beautiful thing on Coney since they brought the Parachute Jump (and its, uhm "crappy" new lights) over from the first NY World's Fair.

Everytime I walk by the sleepy park and see a concert it's something like Jay Black and the Americans or Johnny Something and the Brooklyn Bridge. 1 or 2 hit wonders from 1959! Most others who don't venture past the joke of an aquarium prolly don't even know the park is there. While a new venue may be cost-prohibitive in the future, I think we can both agree that it's crap-prohibitive now.

More importantly, to me, this is a chance to expand the amusement area's footprints at a time when all talk (from both Joe "full of" Sitt and Bloomy) is to chip the whole thing down until we're left with high rise luxury condos and a few rides which legally can not be touched.

As for the actual need of a music venue, yeah I am aware of KeySpan.

While I can't complain about the acoustics, without a roof, it's still not exactly top notch. The acoustics at SirenFest is pretty sucky, so I won't even try defending that. This new theater however would be something to compete with Jones Beach and would draw in brand new crowds who've never had a reason to come to Coney to begin with.

Dems be my 2 cents (well maybe more than that) anyways. Keep us updated on all the latest Coney news :)

[BrooklynRider]

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd121/BrooklynRiderRob/3600750414_ac7a6a01d3.jpghttp://s220.photobucket.com/albums/dd121/BrooklynRiderRob/?action=view&current=3600750414_ac7a6a01d3.jpg

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd121/BrooklynRiderRob/3600751204_a431316c15.jpg

Photographs by rbbbconeyisland at Flickr

[BrooklynRider]

Albany throws Bloomy a rabbit punch in Coney
By Mike McLaughlin
The Brooklyn Paper

Mayor Bloomberg’s plan to redevelop Coney Island is tied up in Albany, causing yet another headache for the controversial proposal to create a new amusement park and thousands of apartments on the hard-luck peninsula.

Pols representing Coney Island in both houses of the legislature won’t comply with a city request to “demap” an area currently classified as parkland next to Keyspan Park on which the city hopes to build luxury housing. Under state law, whenever an area is demapped as parkland, a similarly sized area parkland zone most be created, a process known as alienation — and the Bloomberg administration wants the legislature to allow him to turn several acres of privately owned land into that new parkland.

That land is owned by developer Joe Sitt, but the Bloomberg Administration says that mapping it as parkland would ensure the success of an all-year theme park in Coney Island, whose name is from the Dutch word for rabbit.

Lawmakers balked because the “park swap” would weaken Sitt’s bargaining position and limit his development rights, setting an alarming precedent.

“Legislators have problems alienating someone’s private property rights,” state Sen. Diane Savino (D–Coney Island) told The Brooklyn Paper. “If we condemn it, we essentially render it worthless [to Sitt].”

Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny (D–Coney Island) opposed the bill, too.

“The city shouldn’t easily push property owners to the corner and do whatever they want to do,” he said.

The impasse was first reported in the New York Observer on Tuesday.

The opposition in Albany was unexpected by the Coney Island Development Corporation, the agency overseeing the mayor’s grand plans to rezone and rebuild dozens of blocks of the rundown neighborhood.

In recent months, it had depicted the park swap process as a simple formality in the more complex effort to turn around Coney Island, which is now home to only one amusement park, but expecting a boost from the addition of a Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus this summer.

Quick passage of the state bill would have helped the mayor with his effort to pass the necessary rezoning proposal in the City Council this summer.

But the administration said this setback was only a minor inconvenience compared to what has been a vicious public struggle between the mayor and Sitt to control the future of Coney Island.

“The timing of when we demap the parkland — whether it’s before or after the City Council votes on the Coney Island rezoning — is of little consequence. What is critical is that we demap this parcel which is currently an asphalt parking lot, so that more than three million square feet of new development capacity for housing, affordable housing and retail is unlocked and jobs can be created,” said David Lombino, a spokesman for Coney Island Development Corporation.

Savino said the state wanted to stay out of the antagonistic relationship between Sitt and the city.

“Both sides are looking for us to take their side,” she said. Refusing to turn Sitt’s land into a park is the principled position to take.

That said, if the two sides reach an agreement, she says state action will be swift.

“We’re prepared to act once they tell us we have a deal,” she said.

©2009 The Brooklyn Paper

[SuddenImpact]

Seems to me, Thor wants about 25 high rise luxury condos/hotels, leaving about 6 acres of amusement park land. The city wants a couple of fewer condos/hotels while saving a couple of more acres of amusement park land.

Maybe tying it all up in Albany (we're they're obviously going thru their own, much bigger drama) is the best thing?

Has anyone seen or talked about the Municipal Art Society's Coney Vision?

http://imagineconey.com/

[BrooklynRider]

Their plan is the strongest for a continued Amusement area. They recommend at very least 17 acres of amusements as opposed to the city's 9 and Thor's six. I believe they actually recommend expanding it it 22 acres.

[SuddenImpact]

Over the past 8 months, I've been to 3 Municipal Art Society meetings. One was at BAM, another at a Catholic school down at Coney, then one in the city. IMO they're the only ones looking out for amusements as opposed to condos.

Zigun and several community/tenants association leaders have been to them as well, but without any political backing, I'm not sure what else they can do to get the message out.

Anyways, if I can pimp myself out for a second :rolleyes:

I know of a Coney based short that'll screen tomorrow night at a small local film fest. Rider, if you or anyone else reading this is interested, please send me a PM. Apologies for the spam. I promise that any and all further details will only go to those interested enough in PMing me. Thanks.

[justfabulouslyme]

These "community groups" are very frustrating. It's Coney Island, they want quiet Friday nights all year? Move the hell away then, or install soundproofing on the "temple". I'm sure they can afford it. They don't even have to pay taxes and they want to control a whole neighborhood.
Why should an entire city lose out on all of the benefits of this project because of fringe religious groups. Every day I despise organized religion just a little bit more. What arrogance.

I agree.

100000%

[SuddenImpact]

In case you missed it last year, here's a few reasons to go to tomorrow's Mermaid Parade!

[philvia]

yea except this year it was rained out... i'm not a mermaid so i dont necessarily care to stand around in the rain watching the parade :) though i would have went had it been a nicer day

[ZippyTheChimp]

07.21.2009


Coney's Life Boat


In surprise move, council backs mayor's
amusement area redevelopment plan



http://www.archpaper.com/uploads/image/development_proposal1.jpg
The city's redevelopment plans for Coney Island might finally
become a reality after foundering for months.
Courtesy NYC DCP


Dominic Recchia, a City Council member from south Brooklyn, has opposed the Bloomberg administration’s redevelopment plan for Coney Island since before it was unveiled a year-and-a-half ago, becoming a major obstacle to the city’s long-running bid to revive his district's oceanfront amusement park.

So when Recchia suddenly endorsed a plan today that had but a few minor differences with the city’s original proposal, it signaled not only that Coney Island may finally be saved from an uncertain future, but also that the developer who owns an important swath of land in the area—and a major Recchia ally—may be on the verge of striking a deal with the city.

“It’s impossible to make everyone 100 percent happy,” Recchia said at a special meeting of the council’s land-use committee this afternoon. “But this plan makes everyone happy enough that we can move forward.” The committee voted in favor of the amended plan 13-2, with a vote before the full council due next Wednesday.



http://www.archpaper.com/uploads/ConeyMap.jpg
The current plan calls for an L-shaped amusement park running from the Cyclone to the Parachute Jump,
but further negotiations could extend that park three blocks west. Four controversial hotels (in purple) will remain.
Courtesy DCP


The councilmember's about-face offers fresh hope for the city's rezoning plan, which aims to remedy one of the major problems facing Coney Island: The area is largely dormant outside of the summer, when the amusement park shuts down. In addition to creating indoor amusement spaces for year-round activity and employment, the city’s plan (http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/coney_island/index.shtml) endeavors to revive the area with new housing—some 4,500 units—and a series of hotels. The plan would preserve the outdoor amusement traditionally associated with Coney Island on a nine-acre strip of land along the boardwalk stretching from the Cyclone to KeySpan Park.

The problem is that developer Joe Sitt owns 10.5 acres of land in the area, much of it along the boardwalk, and he would rather develop it as highrise towers, as opposed to the city’s plan to place such development to the north and east of the current amusement district. The city has offered to either trade land with Sitt or buy him out, most recently in June for $105 million. But the developer has held out for his original asking price of $165 million, even telling the Post (http://www.nypost.com/seven/06112009/news/regionalnews/coney_man_kicks_sand_in_mikes_face_173698.htm) he was through negotiating. That could all change, given Recchia’s new-found support for the city’s plan, as some local activists suggested today.

“Why would Recchia give up his bargaining position if a deal hadn’t been struck?” Juan Rivero, spokesman for Save Coney Island, said after the vote. Andrew Brent, a Bloomberg spokesperson, wrote in an email that there is “no such deal,” though he added, “Important to point out that it's not a done deal until the full council votes.” And Stefan Friedman, a spokesperson for Sitt’s Thor Equities, said, “Thor is currently in talks with the city and expects these negotiations to continue until the full council votes on the rezoning.” Even if a deal has not already been struck, that Thor is back at the table is a promising sign for an eventual agreement.

Any such deal could also end up improving the amusement area, as it would make way for additional open-air amusements along the boardwalk on the three blocks west of KeySpan, something amusement advocates have been clamoring for. Recchia said he would continue to fight for this change, the implication being that with Sitt no longer a factor, and thus less demand for luxury development in the district, the city might return to its earliest proposals, which called for 15 acres of open-air amusements on both sides of KeySpan. The current plan, by contrast, calls for housing to the west.

The other issue vexing advocates is four 15-story hotel parcels proposed for the south side of Surf Avenue within the new amusement district. Recchia said that despite his best efforts, he could not negotiate them out of the plan.

Advocates feared that if the district were too small or too overpowered by its outsized neighbors, it would continue to struggle. If all goes as currently laid out by Recchia, then, the result could be a wash.

“I’m a pragmatist,” said Dick Zigun, the founder of Coney Island U.S.A. “I realize if there’s the opportunity to save even one building or change one block, I’ll take it.” But Juan Rivera, of Save Coney Island, said the amusements "continue to be ignored."



http://www.archpaper.com/uploads/WonderWheelWay(1).jpg
The proposed Wonder Wheel Way, a new street that bisects the amusement district. A portion of it will be removed
from the plan as part of recent negotiations, though it will remain as a pedestrian thoroughfare.
Courtesy DCP


The one noticeable, though arguably cosmetic, adjustment to the city’s plan touted by Recchia today was removing part of the proposed Wonder Wheel Way. A new street that would bisect the amusement area, Wonder Wheel Way is intended to create improved frontage for the new indoor amusements, which run the gamut from arcades to bowling alleys to retail stores.

Because of concern from the family that operates the Wonder Wheel and adjoining Dino’s amusement park, the block of the proposed roadway between West 10th and West 12th streets will be removed, though it will continue from West 12th to West 16th streets. But because Dino’s has agreed to make that space a pedestrian throughway, the city’s plan is largely intact, though it could potentially allow for large-scale development in the future.

Beyond this minor change to the plan itself, Recchia did receive some additional concessions from the city: The administration has committed to increasing the inclusionary housing bonus for affordable housing from 20 percent of units to 35 percent, meaning residential developers seeking additional bulk in their projects would have to make a greater percentage of units affordable.

A commitment has also been made to use union labor both in the construction and operation of the amusements, hotels, shops, and apartment buildings that will populate the new district. Both changes were sought in a last minute push by Coney Island for All, a coalition of labor unions and housing advocates, and while the group sees them as an improvement, it would like to see more housing and job security. “There’s been progress made, but we have to stay vigilant,” Kristi Barnes, a representative for the group, said after the vote.

Recchia also negotiated improvements to the surrounding area's troubled infrastructure—sewage overflows during storms and streets strewn with potholes—as well as money for the expansion of the local hospital and school to accommodate an influx of new residents. Money has also been promised for a new ice-skating rink and renovation of a nearby park.

“By the end of the day on July 29, everyone will be happy,” Recchia said.


Matt Chaban

Copyright © 2003-2008 | The Architect's Newspaper, LLC.

[Prometheus]

I wish they'd replicate those cool turn-of-the century parks, like Luna.
A replica would be a little disney-ish, but would still be cool to see, if done correctly.

[SuddenImpact]

Yeah, a Luna Park replica would be nice, even if a little Disney-ish. Actually, compared to the plan that the full city council is about to vote on, empty lots would be nice as well! At least empty lots offers the potential to rebuild rides on.

But 9 acres?!?!?! Seriously??? This plan is a joke!!!!

You can barely fit two additional Cyclones in the 9 acres worth of land that Bloomberg promises to preserve. How will that lead to the "World Class Amusement Area" championed by both Bloomberg and Sitt? They are BOTH liars, there is no hiding that.

How can any condos be part of the plan when just two weeks ago Bloomberg announced a 20 million dollar bailout to the same real estate developers Bloomy made rich through 8 years of rezoning.
http://newyork.realestaterama.com/2009/07/08/mayor-bloomberg-and-speaker-quinn-announce-housing-asset-renewal-pilot-program-ID0730.html
(http://newyork.realestaterama.com/2009/07/08/mayor-bloomberg-and-speaker-quinn-announce-housing-asset-renewal-pilot-program-ID0730.html)
How can ANYONE look at the drawings and think, even for a second, that within the 9 acres Coney will get its promised World Class Amusement Park?
How can ANYONE look at the plans for condos and think, even for a second, that Coney is better off surrounded by high rises?
How can ANYONE see the modern day high rise ghost towns popping up in Williamsburg and Long Island City and not think that the same fate doesn't await Coney?

Utterly ridiculous. Once again Bloomie and his puppets in the council should be shamed. Once this piece of history is lost (like Steeplechase or the old Penn Station) it will NEVER come back!

[BrooklynRider]

The city is negotiating with property owners in C.I. to expand the amusement district west of Keyspan Park. This would expand the Amusement area to 15 acres AND it is looking good at this point.

[SuddenImpact]

Cool news, Rider, except that the city already own the 5/6 acres west of KeySpan. It consists of the KeySpan parking lot and Abe Stark skating rink. Maybe the city is negotiating against itself? :rolleyes:

[Stroika]

This group is fighting to expand the amusement district. You want Coney Island to not suck? Do something and attend this rally!

Final Save Coney Island Rally TOMORROW!!


Here's what you can do to SAVE CONEY ISLAND

JOIN (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102650831803&s=3792&e=001dQ1CL47BEfEiUo6_KArFdi60iEgAevSsJFIzvWAnzg4I6 6_v1_Ocu_9V9XcCX5zyujklhQ9PYszbEqAkS3Msh7X4KGq5Sdl 7DoFjGb2E8GjJO-XdhT47MF1H0MBJESWQBBiQ-0lFrB54Qpr-7i6IMQ==)
OUR MAILING LIST

VOLUNTEER (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102650831803&s=3792&e=001dQ1CL47BEfHA4hKYVeXRh6O5gygHIDfqNHm2X_Vk0W1vb PlY6rI3m6e8eUXkjlQcQwwMmCIvEZu_i1um1O_F-E7Im2Dw_Lkb7jgN3NIXT92kKtX_eLlZeUPl-QVao2stEd8CFMeCuvv5K1PJWss6Dw==)
SIGN (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102650831803&s=3792&e=001dQ1CL47BEfEIA4itzGi83I9hxOmGhTKmaphOSDph22jcF fxv7SnUBY593IF7jgwTYfHCVtT_jTV7IGQQhPxcg69zlY9doAu fokhQC36a7deRtrh0I6ThSWlheoLvPtHwQu_OEeAWd2Rg7_IhM zJbMpGAW1L__-YmyHqcZ310GL6DkGI_k-x2TdhUZnt5ZDDkaFzLhSPKzSdtpmZIoErMI4BfdaLoCmrIToBe H0CdoQHlfD80fWX8ArNTlNMhSl5g)
THIS PETITION

WRITE (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102650831803&s=3792&e=001dQ1CL47BEfFMfsfLaA0FY9s_m5Ycdnp6TVw5FRuWPnC-Aun6XT8r54VraXy3KzoZRLt-6BFBH7KohObx04mMKCIOHt_ss1LUwOM0YEHbC94sk67xcNyCiJ My4S_cv86RpCdRBAU16IloVztIkoOiuA==)
YOUR REPRESENTATIVE


Final Save Coney Island Rally (Sun.) before the City Council Vote!!

PLEASE ATTEND!

The City Council is voting next Wednesday on the City's flawed Coney Island plan. This Sunday, we will make ourselves heard loud and clear:

The City Council must FIX the plan or KILL the plan. The future of Coney Island as an amusement destination hangs on the balance.

WHAT: Rally to Save Coney Island
WHEN: Sunday, July 26th at 1 p.m.
WHERE: By the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall

SCHEDULED SPEAKERS AND PERFORMERS (thus far):
Coney Island "Mayor" and Mermaid Parade founder Dick Zigun
Historian and "Coney Island: Lost and Found" author Charles Denson
Cyclone operator and former Astroland co-owner Carol Albert
Owner of Coney Island's Lola Staar Souvenir Boutique Dianna Carlin
Miss Cyclone Angie Pontani
World Famous *BOB*
The Great Fredini
Mayoral candidate Rev. Billy Talen
Savitri D
Coney Island Musician AMO1
Boardwalk bard Amos Wengler

Please forward this to ALL your friends. This is our last best chance to draw citywide attention to this issue before the Council Vote. Let's make it count!

<img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.11" alt="July Rally" border="0">

----------

Phone Calls
Keep making phone calls! Call Quinn, Recchia, and your council member. Tell them that Coney Island amusements are a city-wide issue, and that the plan must be fixed. All the info you need to make a call is here (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102650831803&s=3792&e=001dQ1CL47BEfHdtrCjzEbvsCLs4TwkNGTjU67vUOzvHP75f ECPkFnax0d0cgnQFBtrJasrLqtPm5py8NiaUyDPe0URUF8aHA1 463ySXb6CCa-soXNO5i7bCaAxmg1WFlFWI1AJkADc7K4=). Call now!

Donations
If you would like to help our efforts but are not available to volunteer, you can make a small donation to our cause through our site (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102650831803&s=3792&e=001dQ1CL47BEfHdBVuy60hTQ0rBo9nhJZxmfgvMCFDr882-gKCOYYjbUpIcuJP9sHttMfo0JFf_bkU5d072SxTZpj8MASK7F6 HuONqIn7r8obeoz-r_ZY_HvYQOT4s_LQBr). Contributions go toward printing, site-hosting and sundry expenses. Every little bit helps.

saveconeyisland.net
Volunteer! (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102650831803&s=3792&e=001dQ1CL47BEfHdBVuy60hTQ0rBo9nhJZxmfgvMCFDr882-gKCOYYjbUpIcuJP9sHttMfo0JFf_bkU5d072SxTZpj8MASK7F6 HuONqIn7r8obeoz-r_ZY_HvYQOT4s_LQBr)
Write your representative! (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102650831803&s=3792&e=001dQ1CL47BEfHdBVuy60hTQ0rBo9nhJZxmfgvMCFDr882-gKCOYYjbUpIcuJP9sHttMfo0JFf_bkU5d072SxTZpj8MASK7F6 HuONqIn7r8obeoz-r_ZY_HvYQOT4s_LQBr)
Sing our petition! (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102650831803&s=3792&e=001dQ1CL47BEfHdBVuy60hTQ0rBo9nhJZxmfgvMCFDr882-gKCOYYjbUpIcuJP9sHttMfo0JFf_bkU5d072SxTZpj8MASK7F6 HuONqIn7r8obeoz-r_ZY_HvYQOT4s_LQBr)
Save Coney Island! (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102650831803&s=3792&e=001dQ1CL47BEfHdBVuy60hTQ0rBo9nhJZxmfgvMCFDr882-gKCOYYjbUpIcuJP9sHttMfo0JFf_bkU5d072SxTZpj8MASK7F6 HuONqIn7r8obeoz-r_ZY_HvYQOT4s_LQBr)
About Us Save Coney Island is a grassroots community organization committed to the revitalization of the Coney Island amusement district and the surrounding neighborhood. Visit us at saveconeyisland.net

[SuddenImpact]

WELL, BEING THAT I DON'T WANT CONEY ISLAND TO SUCK, I'LL BE THERE :)

Check the links below for the differences in Bloomie's plan and the Municipal Art Society Plan:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6YjsreT1Ru0/SlfAybMSZFI/AAAAAAAABLI/WlPmJK2-IZQ/s1600-h/09071005Coney12AcresWeb.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6YjsreT1Ru0/Sle3Mg6kdzI/AAAAAAAABKo/KszCLxeuqWo/s1600-h/09071001ConeyAT25AcresWeb.jpg


This group is fighting to expand the amusement district. You want Coney Island to not suck? Do something and attend this rally!

Final Save Coney Island Rally TOMORROW!!

Here's what you can do to SAVE CONEY ISLAND
JOIN
OUR MAILING LIST

VOLUNTEER
SIGN
THIS PETITION

WRITE
YOUR REPRESENTATIVE

Final Save Coney Island Rally (Sun.) before the City Council Vote!!

PLEASE ATTEND!

The City Council is voting next Wednesday on the City's flawed Coney Island plan. This Sunday, we will make ourselves heard loud and clear:

The City Council must FIX the plan or KILL the plan. The future of Coney Island as an amusement destination hangs on the balance.

WHAT: Rally to Save Coney Island
WHEN: Sunday, July 26th at 1 p.m.
WHERE: By the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall

SCHEDULED SPEAKERS AND PERFORMERS (thus far):
Coney Island "Mayor" and Mermaid Parade founder Dick Zigun
Historian and "Coney Island: Lost and Found" author Charles Denson
Cyclone operator and former Astroland co-owner Carol Albert
Owner of Coney Island's Lola Staar Souvenir Boutique Dianna Carlin
Miss Cyclone Angie Pontani
World Famous *BOB*
The Great Fredini
Mayoral candidate Rev. Billy Talen
Savitri D
Coney Island Musician AMO1
Boardwalk bard Amos Wengler

Please forward this to ALL your friends. This is our last best chance to draw citywide attention to this issue before the Council Vote. Let's make it count!

<img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.11" alt="July Rally" border="0">

----------

Phone Calls
Keep making phone calls! Call Quinn, Recchia, and your council member. Tell them that Coney Island amusements are a city-wide issue, and that the plan must be fixed. All the info you need to make a call is here. Call now!

Donations
If you would like to help our efforts but are not available to volunteer, you can make a small donation to our cause through our site. Contributions go toward printing, site-hosting and sundry expenses. Every little bit helps.

saveconeyisland.net
Volunteer!
Write your representative!
Sing our petition!
Save Coney Island!
About Us Save Coney Island is a grassroots community organization committed to the revitalization of the Coney Island amusement district and the surrounding neighborhood. Visit us at saveconeyisland.net

[Merry]

July 29th, 2009

Council Approves a Proposal to Redevelop Coney Island

By CHARLES V. BAGLI

With the Bloomberg administration laboring furiously to conclude a deal with a Coney Island landowner, the City Council on Wednesday afternoon approved the mayor’s ambitious plan to redevelop the seafront district once known as the world’s largest playground.

It was an expensive and bruising victory for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, whose administration wants to establish a 27-acre entertainment district between Surf Avenue and the Boardwalk, with 9.4 acres devoted exclusively to freak shows, arcades, and roller coasters and other rides.

New zoning, approved by the Council, would allow high-rise hotels on Surf Avenue and 4,500 apartments north and west of the amusements.
The Council approved the plan 44-2, as officials at City Hall continued work on a potential deal with Joseph J. Sitt, a developer who has been at odds with the Bloomberg administration even as he spent more than $90 million buying property in the area.

The Council, which obtained a number of concessions from the mayor, had also pressed the city to reach a compromise with Mr. Sitt, who was on vacation in France with his family on Wednesday. Negotiations with his lawyer, Jesse Masyr, continued until 11 p.m. on Tuesday and through much of Wednesday.

“By approving our administration’s plan to revitalize Coney Island, the Council has helped us breathe new life into a city treasure that’s been in decline for decades,” Mayor Bloomberg said after the vote. “Now we move forward with a plan that will return Coney Island to its former glory, ensure its future as a year-round destination for visitors and create a more livable, vibrant community for its residents.”

Mr. Bloomberg said there was still a lot of work to do, but he was optimistic that a deal could be worked out with landowners like Mr. Sitt. Under a tentative deal discussed Wednesday, according to officials and executives involved in the talks, the city would buy 6 of Mr. Sitt’s 10 acres, leaving the remaining property on Surf and Stillwell Avenues for him to develop.

Critics, including the group Save Coney Island and the Municipal Art Society of New York, say the city’s plan is flawed because the amusement district is too small and would be overwhelmed by development. Although the city’s new zoning for the area prohibits housing in the amusement area, critics complain that it would allow for up to four 27-story hotel towers along the south side of Surf Avenue, including one in front of the historic Wonder Wheel. And, they say, the city’s plan would encourage developers to demolish landmarks like Nathan’s hot dog stand.

“I think this is a very sad day for New York,” said Juan Rivero, a spokesman for Save Coney Island. “People who love Coney Island could see its historic amusement district shrink and its history erased. It’s up to the administration to mitigate some of the damage its plan could trigger.”

In the vote on the plan, “no” votes were cast by Councilman Tony Avella of Queens and Charles Barron of Brooklyn, who said the plan would turn the area into a “Coney Island for the elite.” Councilwoman Rosie Mendez of Manhattan abstained.

There is little left today of Coney Island’s once-vast amusement district aside from a three-acre stub with the Cyclone roller coaster, the Wonder Wheel and the Parachute Jump. Mr. Sitt bought the Astroland amusement park and closed it as part of plans for what he once described as a Las Vegas-style resort. But the city opposed his plan for apartment towers or time-share hotels in the district.

Aside from buying Mr. Sitt’s land for a price that could exceed $60 million, the city also agreed in negotiations with Council members and union and housing advocates to increase to 35 percent, from 20 percent, the amount of new housing set aside for poor and working-class families. The administration also agreed to set up a job-training program for local residents.

It is still unclear how soon new housing will be built, given the anemic economy, and whether the new amusement district will attract a developer who can build new amusements that will serve tourists, newcomers and working-class New Yorkers.

Charles Bendit, a chief executive at Taconic Investment Partners, which owns about 10 acres of land for residential development west and north of the Cyclones ballpark, said he was elated by the Council’s vote. But he and other real estate executives conceded that development projects depended on the availability of financing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/nyregion/30coney.html?ref=realestate

[ablarc]

The Council, which obtained a number of concessions from the mayor, had also pressed the city to reach a compromise with Mr. Sitt, who was on vacation in France with his family on Wednesday.
If I had my way, we would all be on vacation in France.

(Maybe permanently.)

[BrooklynRider]

I guess Mr, Sitt couldn't find a nice room or a nice beach in Coney Island to vacation with his family. Even if he did, his kids would be bored because the big landowner in Coney Island gutted the place and left nothing short of an environmental hazard for residents.

[BrooklynRider]

November 12, 2009

City to Buy 7 Acres in Coney Island, Hoping to Spark a Revival

By CHARLES V. BAGLI

After a year of ultimatums, threats and stop-and-go talks, the Bloomberg administration has agreed to pay $95.6 million to a developer for seven acres in the heart of Coney Island, according to executives on both sides of the negotiations. It is a crucial step forward for the city’s vision of turning the faded and mostly dormant seaside amusement district into an exciting destination reminiscent of its heyday.

The city’s deal with the developer, Joseph J. Sitt, capped a long standoff between the two sides, with each claiming it had the best plan for the revival of the fabled playground, but neither able to bring its plan to fruition in a deadly real estate market.

The city will announce the deal on Thursday, but the reality of a revived Coney Island remains a long way off.

Mr. Sitt began buying land in Coney Island in 2005, evicting tenants and promising a modern, Las Vegas-style resort with hotels and condominiums among the rides. Today, much of the land sits vacant. While the Cyclone roller coaster, the Wonder Wheel and Nathan’s hot dog stand remain, the Thunderbolt, Child’s restaurant and even the Astroland amusement park are gone — cleared away for new ventures that were never built.

This summer, amid heated negotiations, neither side wanted to be accused of stunting the area’s growth, so each brought in competing attractions. City Hall had Ringling Brothers open a circus tent, and Mr. Sitt unveiled a tent colony of sideshows. The tents are now empty, torn by the November winds.

“It doesn’t look good,” Dick Zigun, who runs the Coney Island Museum and the annual Mermaid Parade, said of the area. He said he was hopeful that the city “is as good as its word.”

Each side claimed victory, though no one wanted to comment for the record before Thursday’s announcement. While Mr. Sitt got much less than the $140 million he had wanted for 10.5 of the 12.5 acres he owned, the $95.6 million for 6.9 acres came to more than $300 a square foot — a huge amount in the current market. Mr. Sitt, chief executive of Thor Equities, plans to develop hotels and stores on his remaining 5.6 acres.

City officials did say that in the next few days they would begin soliciting offers for an interim amusement operator before seeking potential developers to create a year-round destination, which would ideally include a diverse mix of thrill rides, games and attractions between the Cyclone and the KeySpan ballpark. As a first step, the administration is sending representatives to the annual convention of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions in Las Vegas next week.

The city now has the opportunity to entice a range of operators whose competing visions would make for a dynamic Coney Island, rather than a single vision that turns Coney Island into an amusement mall, said Michael Immerso, author of “Coney Island, the People’s Playground.”

Mr. Sitt founded the Ashley Stewart plus-size clothing chain, and his company controls about 12 million square feet of retail, hotel and commercial property in cities across the country.

Mr. Sitt’s proposal called for a $1.5 billion Las Vegas style resort with a huge glass-enclosed water park, wild rides, many stores and condominiums or time-share hotels in tall towers near the beach.

But he clashed with city officials, who said that housing in the amusement district would inevitably clash with the flashing lights, clanging and dinging of the rides. Mr. Sitt’s land, however, was key to the city’s redevelopment plan, because it sat in the heart of the district.

A year ago, the city offered $110 million for 10.5 acres of Mr. Sitt’s property, saying the price would go down if the deal was not accepted immediately. Mr. Sitt, who had asked for more than $140 million, went on vacation.

In April, the city offered $105 million.

Over the summer, the city rezoned a 19-block area of Coney Island, including a 27-acre amusement and entertainment district and, to the north and west of the district, almost 5,000 apartments and 500,000 square feet of retail. Given the deadlock and Mr. Sitt’s eviction of many tenants, neither side wanted to be blamed for the final decimation of the Coney Island amusements — hence this summer’s competing attractions.

The $95.6 million covers 6.9 acres, most of it along the Boardwalk, between the Cyclone and KeySpan Park.

The city’s plan bars residential development within the amusement district east of the ballpark and south of Surf Avenue. Yet, it does provide for the development of up to 4,500 new apartments, with 840 set aside for low- and moderate-income tenants. On the six blocks west of the ballpark in what the city now calls Coney West, developers could erect as many as 2,700 units.

Also, up to 1,800 apartments can be built in Coney North, five blocks on the north side of Surf Avenue, between Stillwell Avenue and West 20th Street.

One residential developer, Taconic Investment Partners, controls about 10 acres where it could build 2,000 apartments.

“I think the city made a good choice in buying the land in order to protect the area along the boardwalk for amusements forever,” said Dennis Vourderis, who family runs the only amusement park left, Dino’s, and the Wonder Wheel, a city landmark. “It won’t be threatened by the development of apartments, shopping malls or anything else. Now the question is, Who do we bring in to build this billion-dollar amusement
park?”

But Juan Rivero, a spokesman for Save Coney Island, a community group that has been critical of both Mr. Sitt’s and the city’s plans, noted that even though only amusements would be allowed in the special district, apartments and high-rise hotels up to 27 stories would be allowed right next to it. He worried that this proximity could "permanently compromise Coney Island’s potential to once again become a world-class destination.”

Mr. Sitt has done very well buying but not building things in Brooklyn. In 2005, he bought a parcel west of the amusement district for $13 million and sold it 14 months later for $90 million. He also bought the Albee Square Mall in Downtown Brooklyn for $25 million in 2001, vowing to renovate. He sold it in 2007 for $125 million, without the makeover.

[Merry]

Coney Floats

City reaches deal with developer, but new theme park years off

http://www.archpaper.com/uploads/image/ConeyAerial.jpg
The city completed the purchase of roughly 7 acres in Coney Island today, but it could be years before new rides, hotels, and housing are completed.

This summer was a quiet one for Coney Island. With no Astroland, Sodom by the Sea was a shadow of its former self, even with the Cyclone, Wonder Wheel, and Ringling Brothers Circus in full swing. It has been months since the circus left town and the few rides have gone quiet, but the Bloomberg administration promises Coney Island is due for a comeback next summer, now that it has finally reached a deal with local developer Joe Sitt to buy 6.9 acres of his boardwalk-bordering property.

“Coney Island will remain a destination for people who want to have a good time and it will continue to be an icon for New York,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at City Hall press conference today announcing the $95.6 million deal.

The city acquired three properties, including the 3-acre former Astroland site that stretches from Surf Avenue to the Boardwalk as well as a 2-acre lot and a 1.6-acre lot from the boardwalk to Wonder Wheel Way, a new street running throught the middle of the amusement district created by the rezoning of the area earlier this year (http://archpaper.com/e-board_rev.asp?News_ID=3727).

http://www.archpaper.com/uploads/ConeyMap(1).jpg (http://www.archpaper.com/uploads/ConeyMap%281%29.jpg)
(large image)

While today’s deal ensures the boardwalk will continue to be lined with rides and amusements instead of condos and hotel towers, it will still be years, if not decades, before Coney Island is once again the world-class theme park the Bloomberg administration envisions. The first major issue is finally connecting much of the area to the grid, which involves a $150 million infrastructure investment by the city across the 47-acre area , providing stable electrical, plumbing, and other amenities to support large-scale development.

The city also wants to keep the area vibrant while it is in transition, so a request for proposals is being issued tomorrow to find an operator for the three parcels just acquired. The city hopes to get amusements up and running by next year on the Astorland site with a phased approach for the other two. And while those amusements will be only semi-permanent as the build out of the area continues, the mayor emphasized they will be twice as large as what was offered last summer. “We should have 10 acres of amusements open for business,” he said.

Over time, the three parcels will be incorporated with the two extant amusements, Deno’s Wonder Wheel kiddie park and the Cyclone, as well as a parcel adjacent to Keyspan Park for which the city is still negotiating, and Steeplechase Plaza, a new park at the base of the Parachute Jump that is currently in design. While these pieces will be run by a handful of operators in the interim, the expectation is that they will be combined at some point into a single, contiguous 12-acre park, though this process could take at least a decade given current contracts.

http://www.archpaper.com/uploads/Boardwalk.jpg
The city is hoping to rejuvinate the boardwalk and build new rides, though some are still wary of hotels proposed along Surf Avenue.

“It’s a mitzvah created today by the Bloomberg administration,” Dick Zigun, founder of Coney Island U.S.A, said in an interview. He pointed out that, while some people wanted a larger park, there has been nothing on this scale since the 15-acre Steeplechase Park closed in 1964.

It remains unclear why a deal was reached now, except that both sides said they have been working on it diligently. The city’s final offer on Sitt’s 10.5 acres of Coney land was $105 million, made last February. Sitt countered with $165 million, saying that was what he required to make his $92 million acquisition profitable. Both sides appear to have met in the middle, as Sitt retains more land while the city spends slightly less money, though more per square foot.

Sitt, for his part, appeared excited at the possibility not only of building two hotels on Surf Avenue but also having land to operate for amusements.

“Your dream is going to come true and I’m so pleased you allowed me to remain a part of it,” the developer said during the press conference. He noted that just as permanent amusements would be slow to arise, his projects would take time and be dependent not only on the recovery of the real estate market but also the infrastructure improvements. "Really, our time line, to be blunt, will ride on the coattails of the city," he said.

Some amusement advocates are less enthusiastic, however. While Zigun said today’s deal was the best that could be hoped for, the group Save Coney Island is calling for further acquisitions because its members believe a larger amusement area is required to create a critical mass of visitors. “We thing it’s a good step, but it’s not really enough,” spokesperson Juan Ramos said. “It doesn’t address the problems the city’s rezoning creates of enclosing a huge chunk of Coney Island in a wall of high rises.”

Matt Chaban

http://www.archpaper.com/e-board_rev.asp?News_ID=4035

[Merry]

Advocate group files suit against Coney Island redevelopment, says new park will be too small

BY Erin Durkin

The roller coaster ride to a new Coney Island just got a little bumpier.

A group of advocates is aiming to throw out the city's massive redevelopment plan with a lawsuit charging the new park will be too small and spoiled by high-rise hotels.

"Coney Island is synonymous throughout the world with outdoor seaside amusements. That's what it's known for, that's what makes it appealing," said Juan Rivero, a spokesman for the group Save Coney Island.

"You need to not be covering it up and squeezing it into a narrow strip of land and blocking it off with a wall of high-rises."

The city struck a $95.6 million deal last month to buy 6.9 acres of land from developer Thor Equities and is now looking for an operator to open a temporary amusement park starting next summer.

But if a judge tossed the new zoning rules passed by the City Council in July, officials would be forced back to the drawing board.

The suit, filed last week, charges the plan was illegal because a required environmental study didn't pass muster.

"It's just wishful thinking," attorney Al Butzel said of the study, which he said failed to consider the impact of hotel towers and a report that found a bigger park was needed to draw thrill-seekers.

City Law Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Thomas said the review process was proper, adding the plan would "revitaliz[e] a treasured seaside destination."

The city's plan calls for a 12-acre amusement park and up to four hotels as tall as 20 stories along Surf Ave., including one that could be built where the iconic Nathan's hotdog stand now sits.

Coney Island USA founder Dick Zigun said even though he's also pushed to enlarge the amusement area and move the hotels, he thought the suit could be counterproductive.

"Any business that exists in Coney Island desperately wants to see redevelopment happen immediately. I would like to see ground broken...yesterday," he said. "I'm not looking to complicate things so that nothing happens."


http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2009/12/02/2009-12-02_advocate_group_files_suit_against_coney_redevel opment.html#ixzz0YWzFJMO1

[Gunslinger]

What is still there at Coney Island

Coming to NYC in April (7th - 12th)

Will anything be open and is there anything else there other than Nathans, Cyclone and Wonder Wheel

Are the little stalls & vendors etc still there and open?

Thanks

Matt

[mosesnbklyn]

yeah - the vendors should be there - they will probably try to open early, as soon as the weather gets warm enough to stay solvent. We went late Oct? and rode the wonder wheel (my first time only lived there ~30yrs) - I was more of a roller-coaster fan growing up. There is a new latin food counter on the boardwalk - specializing in whole chickens I think - some other minor changes but the main attractions are still there from recent past.

I cant believe the city paid $95M to Sitt - he just flipped vacant beach front property - Bloomy you're pathetic. now wheres the $$ to build something actually? nyc real estate - what a scam. I hope a developer with some vision comes in - having the subway and the highway nearby are important - but traffic is worse and worse west of cropsey with those DAMN traffic lights! They added a light at West 19? and neptune, now West 17 is a one-way south and West 19? is a one-way north. this makes sense during stadium events but every day? the sheer number of traffic lights are retarded - now I know why so many people run them.

If anyone has the chance - we walked the boardwalk new years day and saw all the polar bears (and drunks) taking the plunge at the stillwell bay - OMG - and there were thousands of people! its amazing just to watch - we were freezing on the pier, bumped into the in-laws - cant believe I took this job in suffolk!

[Merry]

Ready for Astroland's Summer Blastoff!

January 19, 2010, by Sara

Filling the void between the city's agreement with Joe Sitt (http://curbed.com/archives/2009/11/11/coney_island_land_deal_finally_sealed.php) to acquire seven acres of Coney Island and the opening of the city's temporary amusement park there this summer, a few former Coney Island carnies are weighing in with suggestions:

1) The old Feltman's building on the Astroland site is scheduled for demolition. But before we all say RIP, Coney Island blog Amusing the Zillion (http://amusingthezillion.com/2010/01/19/nathan-slept-here-coney-islands-feltmans-kitchen-set-for-demolition/) is looking for reasons to stand in front of the bulldozer. And it thinks it's found one: Nathan Handwerker, founder of Nathan's Famous, slept on the floor there while working as a hot dog roll slicer/delivery boy. Amusing the Zillion asks: "The floor looks so old it's easy to imagine the original hot dog falling on it....Shouldn't the City be renovating Feltman's Kitchen as a little museum and hot dog stand instead of tearing it down?" Maybe, as long as no one's planning to use the five-second rule.

2) Meanwhile, longtime Coney carny John Strong wants in on this summer's Astroland replacement. Strong proposes (http://johnstrongshows.com/coney-island/) an "Oddity Museum" for the entrance of the former Astroland site, at which he will reprise his traditional John Strong show. And, he reminds the city, he can bring the new Coney positive media exposure, as he did last year "when he attempted to buy a 5-legged dog," an effort that led to a court case.

Nathan Slept Here! Coney Island's Feltman's Kitchen Set for Demolition (http://amusingthezillion.com/2010/01/19/nathan-slept-here-coney-islands-feltmans-kitchen-set-for-demolition/) [Amusing the Zillion]
Coney Island Proposal (http://johnstrongshows.com/coney-island/) [John Strong Shows]
Coney Island coverage (http://curbed.com/tags/coney-island) [Curbed]

http://curbed.com/archives/2010/01/19/get_ready_for_astrolands_summer_blastoff.php

[BrooklynRider]

The city has reportedly chosen a new amusement park operator for Coney Island.

Sources tell NY1 that Zamperla USA was named the new amusement park operator for Coney Island Tuesday.

The company was among several others vying for the operating rights, including Ripley's Believe or Not and Steel Pier.

Contenders for the rights had to submit proposals, which included developing at one of the three parcels of land between the former Astroland site and KeySpan Park.

Sources say Zamperla's plan included developing all three.

City officials want the rides up and running by this summer.

The city acquired the land from developer Joe Sitt last month.

Zamperla is an Italian company and is one of the largest manufactures of amusement rides in the world with its American headquarters based out of Parsippany, New Jersey.

Video at the link.

http://www.ny1.com/7-brooklyn-news-content/top_stories/112303/-i-ny1-exclusive--... (http://www.ny1.com/7-brooklyn-news-content/top_stories/112303/-i-ny1-exclusive---i--city-names-coney-island-amusement-operator)

[BrooklynRider]

http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/33/5/33_05_ac_coney_interim.html

Big news for Coney! Big gun to run theme park this summer
BY ANDY CAMPBELL
The Brooklyn Paper

Coney Island’s going back to the big time, as the city announced on Wednesday that the amusement wizards behind the popular Victorian Gardens theme park will begin running an amusement park by the Boardwalk this summer.

Zamperla, an Italy-based manufacturer of amusement park rides that has also gotten into the theme park business with its popular attraction in Manhattan’s Central Park every summer, has won the city contract for an unspecified, but up to 10-year, run as the faded funhouse’s newest, biggest draw.

The contract comes with big expectations: the Economic Development Corporation has a much broader vision of a revived Coney Island that will see the former People’s Playground transformed into a 24-7, all-year entertainment, amusement, games and retail zone — one that will take at least a decade to realize.

Until that Xanadu can be built, Zamperla will bring in its rides — though the actual amusements remain undecided — and begin operating by this summer.

“We’re excited,” said EDC spokesman Dave Lombino. “But we can’t comment on the rides or the selection process until the agreement is finalized.”

Though details remain sketchy, the EDC did require all would-be interim operators to provide an “open and affordable” pay-as-you-go experience in Coney. Zamperla’s track record in that area includes Victorian Gardens operation, which offers all-day unlimited rides for $21.50 that has proven very popular.

“Zamperland” in Coney Island will eventually operate on all three parcels of land between the former Astroland site and Keyspan Park that the city bought from major Coney landowner Joe Sitt last year — though only the Astroland plot — at Surf Avenue and West 10th Street — is required to be ready by this summer.

Astroland’s former owner Carol Albert, who initially hoped to bid for the interim amusement park, said the announcement of Zamperla’s winning bid was bittersweet.

“Reluctantly, we pulled out at the last minute because we could not possibly put [a proposal] together in the six weeks that the [EDC] required,” said Albert, who sold her land to Sitt in 2006 and ran her park as a renter until 2008. “But Zamperla will provide great rides and a beautiful experience like they did with Victorian Gardens.”

The city plans to spend $2.2 million, mostly to bring in electrical generators and portable toilets, though Zamperla is expected to build permanent restrooms and take over the electric bill in future years.

[BrooklynRider]

Coney Island's new operator (10 year lease).

I hope that C.I. becomes the place for them to premier new rides. That will keep the experience fresh and exciting.

[lofter1]

Clash Over Plans for a Brooklyn Park

... the park’s location has become politically charged:
residents say it is in Brighton Beach, and the city says Coney Island.

NY TIMES (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/nyregion/11seaside.html)
By MIREYA NAVARRO
February 10, 2010

The way Marty Markowitz sees it, the rundown nine-acre park where Coney Island and Brighton Beach meet is ripe for a sparkling transformation.

Mr. Markowitz, the Brooklyn borough president, envisions Asser Levy Park, also known as Seaside Park, as the gateway to a spruced-up amusement complex evoking Coney Island’s splashy past. An enormous new outdoor amphitheater would have room for 8,000 people and draw top entertainers, he said — maybe even favorites of his like Carole King or Neil Diamond.

“It’ll be absolutely gorgeous,” Mr. Markowitz said, and “a really great attraction for the future of Coney Island.”

City officials hope to have the amphitheater, the largest in a city park, ready for the 2013 outdoor concert season.

But for many neighbors, the project is about as subtle as a spaceship. They say they like Asser Levy Park just as it is — a quiet oasis with a modest band shell — not as a place, they say, that would draw more traffic, disrupt services at two synagogues and, perhaps most critically, diminish their only decent patch of open space.

“His dream is our nightmare,” said Al Turk, president of Temple Beth Abraham, on Sea Breeze Avenue, opposite the park. “They’re destroying a park to turn it over to a concrete amphitheater. This thing is right on top of us.”

The dispute playing out in this corner of Brooklyn reflects a clash of visions between the residents of an immigrant enclave whose biggest community event in the park is the annual Russian Heritage Festival and city officials longing for a Coney Island entertainment district that will restore the wider area to glory.

It is also a clash between development and conservation in a city where open space is ever more precious. “I need quiet and the trees,” said Rafael Grugman, 62, a professor of computer science who plays chess in the park and was strolling through it the other day.

New York City lags well behind other cities in green space. It offers 4.6 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents, compared with a median of 6.8 acres in the nation’s 13 most densely populated areas, according to the Trust for Public Land. Of the five boroughs, Brooklyn has the second least amount of parkland per person, after Manhattan, officials from the parks department say.

As the city’s Department of Design and Construction prepares an environmental assessment for the parks department and the Design Commission, which has final approval over the plans, neighbors have gathered more than 12,000 signatures on a petition opposing the project.

“This is an enormous project that should be in a commercial area,” said Geoffrey Croft, executive director of NYC Park Advocates, a watchdog group that has joined the fray.

The two sides locked horns after the unveiling last year of the ambitious park redesign, by Grimshaw Architects, an international firm that specializes in public projects and environmental design. The estimated price tag is $64 million, with Mr. Markowitz’s office footing $54 million and the mayor’s office paying the rest.

The plan calls for rebuilding, moving and expanding the park’s playground and bathrooms and creating gardens and pathways and a storm-water system to prevent flooding. Yet those elements are eclipsed by the proposed 65,000-square-foot amphitheater, which would replace the 8,000-square-foot band shell now used for free concerts in July and August.

Grimshaw’s plan calls for a saddle-shape roof, rising eight stories at its highest point, over an elevated stage, and seating for 5,000. The amphitheater would be set 22 feet above the ground and include an open 29,000-square-foot lawn area that would accommodate an additional 3,000 people.

[Design Info and renders (http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=11421): Grimshaw to design new amphitheatre for Coney Island Park]

Proponents argue that very few trees will be lost to make room for the project and that the only net loss of green space would be the 22,000 square feet reserved for accommodations backstage.

But many residents say the project’s sheer size would undermine their tranquil buffer between the Coney Island Boardwalk and the New York Aquarium on one side and residential buildings on the other.

Parents have objected to relocating the playground closer to the street and traffic fumes. And older residents say they fear their sleepy park could wind up providing entertainment year-round to justify the cost of the amphitheater.

Yet some residents view the project in a positive light. “Anything would be better than now,” said Philip Snyder, 24, who was walking his dog in the park recently. He noted the park’s state of disrepair, including missing benches and a patch of dust in front of the band shell. “It’d make the place a lot nicer and increase the price of homes.”

Many other residents say they would also like to see the park fixed up — without the amphitheater. But they have a tough opponent in Mr. Markowitz, 65, who has promoted the free concerts for decades and serves as the master of ceremonies at Asser Levy. Already he has Ms. King, Mr. Diamond and Lionel Ritchie on his concert wish list.

“They don’t want anything that attracts anyone who doesn’t live a block away,” he said of the opponents. “I’m not going to allow folks who have such narrow vision to stop the future.”

Adrian Benepe, the city’s commissioner of parks, said that efforts would be made to address the neighborhood’s concerns, but that residents were up against a long tradition of live music in the city’s green spaces.

“The life of New York takes place in its parks,” he said. “It’s our common backyard. It’s an often boisterous place — that’s what makes them fun and safe.”

“What we have to remember,” he added, “is that parks just don’t serve immediate neighborhoods. Parks are citywide resources.”

Yet opponents may have found a weapon in the city’s administrative code. A provision bans the use of amplified sound within 500 feet of a school or church during hours of classroom work or worship, and Mr. Turk said his synagogue would seek to have it enforced during the Sabbath, Friday night and Saturday.

In a hallowed New York tradition, even the park’s location has become politically charged: residents say it is in Brighton Beach, and the city says Coney Island.

[brianac]

February 16, 2010, 5:45 pm

Coney Island Rides Again

By NATASHA LENNARD (http://wirednewyork.com/author/natasha-lennard/)

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/02/16/nyregion/16coney-cityroom/16coney-cityroom-blogSpan.jpgCourtesy NYC Economic Development Corp.
A somewhat abstractified rendering of the future Luna Park.

Coney Island’s iconic Cyclone roller coaster sat dormant under a thick layer of snow Tuesday afternoon. The Boardwalk was silent but for the distant crash of waves.

But down a few blocks from the midway at the New York Aquarium, against a backdrop of tropical fish, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg was proclaiming Coney Island’s renaissance.

The mayor unveiled plans for a new, year-round amusement park featuring 23 rides, the first 19 of which (http://www.nycedc.com/PressRoom/PressReleases/Pages/MayorBloombergandCAIUnveilPlansforExpandedOutdoorA musementatConeyIsland.aspx) are planned to open by Memorial Day.

“Coney Island remains one of the most known and beloved neighborhoods around the world, but for decades its famed amusement park has dwindled to just a tiny fraction of what it once was,” the mayor said. “This summer, we’re reversing that trend.”

By the end of May, the amusement park operator Central Amusement International will open “Luna Park at Coney Island,” featuring 19 new rides that the company’s representative, David Galst, promised would “flip you, launch you, drop you and splash you.”

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/02/16/nyregion/16coney2-cityroom/16coney2-cityroom-blogSpan.jpgCourtesy New York Public Library (http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm?trg=1&strucID=717521&imageID=801282&total=42&num=0&word=luna%20park&s=1&notword=&d=&c=&f=1,2,3,4,5,9,15,19,20&k=0&lWord=&lField=&sScope=&sLevel=&sLabel=&imgs=20&pos=9&e=w)
The original Luna Park, in 1908.

The new Luna Park will inevitably be measured against the original, which opened in 1903, closed in the 1940s and stood for all that was grand and magical on the city’s southern shore. The mayor said that the new park would evoke Coney Island’s past as much as create a state-of-the-art amusement park, which, by summer 2011, is to expand to include four more rides.

In recent years, Coney Island’s long, gradual decline has accelerated, as the developer Joseph J. Sitt (http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/s/joseph_j_sitt/index.html) bought land with bold plans to reshape the midway but was unable to bring them to fruition.

It was not until the city – after hard-fought negotiations – paid $95.6 million for 6.9 acres of Mr. Sitt’s land (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/nyregion/12coney.html) last November that the current plan to restore Coney Island began to take shape.

C.A.I. announced that it would continue to lease city-owned parcels of land – totaling 6.2 acres – for 10 years and promised to invest $30 million to build and operate the park. The project will create 330 jobs, many of which, according to the park operator, will be filled by local residents.

Alongside the expanded amusement park, the city’s Coney Island Revitalization Plan will create a mixed-use neighborhood with retail options and nearly 5,000 units of housing – 900 units of which will be income-targeted. In total, the plan is expected to generate more than $14 billion in economic activity for New York City over 30 years.

Both the mayor and C.A.I. stressed that Coney Island’s historic legacy would be of paramount concern, and that well-loved landmark rides would remain protected. Deno Vourderis, whose family owns The Wonder Wheel – a Coney Island mainstay since 1920, expressed delight at Tuesday’s announcement.

“We’ve been part of Coney Island since the dark ages,” he said. “We’re ecstatic.”

In celebration of Luna Park’s opening, Shmaltz Brewing Company has even introduced a new Luna Park-themed Coney Island Lager. And, like a metaphor for the area’s coming renovation and preservation, the beer has a new label, but the grinning freak on the bottle remains.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/coney-island-rides-again/

Copyright 2010 (http://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/help/copyright.html) The New York Times Company (http://www.nytco.com/)

[BrooklynRider]

http://www.lunaparknyc.com/ (http://www.lunaparknyc.com/)

[BrooklynRider]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 077-10
February 16, 2010

MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND CENTRAL AMUSEMENT INTERNATIONAL UNVEIL PLANS FOR EXPANDED OUTDOOR AMUSEMENT PARK IN CONEY ISLAND TO OPEN SUMMER 2010

Two New Amusement Areas - "Luna Park" and "Scream Zone - will Feature 23 New Rides, Including New Roller Coasters, a Human Sling Shot and Go-Karts

330 New Jobs to be Created by 2011 with Emphasis on Local Hiring

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Central Amusement International (CAI) today unveiled plans for a new amusement park on three City-owned parcels in Coney Island that will open by Memorial Day 2010. CAI will lease the parcels, totaling 6.2-acres, for ten-years and invest nearly $30 million to build and operate the amusement park. The park will feature both traditional and cutting edge, state-of-the-art rides from renowned ride designer and manufacturer, Zamperla. The new amusement park will be built in two stages: This summer, CAI will open "Luna Park at Coney Island," which will feature 19 rides, including one - Air Race - that will make its worldwide debut at Coney Island; and by summer 2011, the "Scream Zone at Coney Island" will provide additional attractions, including two custom roller coasters, a human slingshot ride, and go-karts. In total, 23 new rides will be installed, designed to celebrate Coney Island's unique history and character while adding modern amusements. In its inaugural season, Luna Park is projected to create 247 new jobs in Coney Island, increasing to 330 full and part-time positions in 2011, with an emphasis on local hiring. The Mayor was joined at the announcement, held at the New York Aquarium, by Council Member Domenic M. Recchia, Jr., Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Congressman Jerrold Nadler, New York City Economic Development Corporation President Seth W. Pinsky, Department of City Planning Commissioner Amanda M. Burden, and Central Amusement International Vice President Peter Pelle.

"Coney Island remains one of the most known and beloved neighborhoods around the world, but for decades its famed amusement park has dwindled to just a tiny fraction of what it once was. This summer, we're reversing that trend," said Mayor Bloomberg. "As part of our Administration's revitalization plan for Coney Island - passed by the City Council last year - we're making necessary infrastructure investments and joining with Central Amusement International to build new amusements that celebrate Coney Island's historic past while featuring modern rides - some making their worldwide debut - that will attract people from around the City and around the globe."

The expanded amusement park is part of the City's Coney Island Revitalization Plan, which will preserve and grow the historic amusement area; create a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood with new retail options and nearly 5,000 new units of housing, including 900 income-targeted units; and generate more than 25,000 construction jobs and 6,000 permanent jobs. In total, the plan is expected to generate more than $14 billion in economic activity for New York City over 30 years. In November 2009, the City released a Request for Proposals for a private sector amusement and entertainment operator for the three sites that it purchased earlier that month from Thor Equities. The proposal submitted by CAI was selected based on criteria that included: the strength of its amusement and entertainment programming; a clear understanding of the redevelopment objectives put forth in the Coney Island Comprehensive Plan; the economic impact of the proposal; the development's financial feasibility; the team's qualifications and safety record; and an innovative approach to site design and planning respecting Coney Island's history and culture.

As part of planned infrastructure improvements, the City will invest $6.6 million in site preparation and basic infrastructure to support the ongoing redevelopment of the neighborhood. In addition, CAI will invest about $30 million: $3 million for additional site preparation, more than $15 million to open Luna Park and more than $12 million to open the Scream Zone. The new amusement park will be operational by Memorial Day and remain open daily until Labor Day and weekends through Columbus Day for its inaugural season.

"I am thrilled that Central Amusement International has been selected as the amusement operator for Coney Island," said Council Member Recchia. "They have a proven track record of exciting, diverse rides for young children and families that will fit right in to the Coney Island aesthetic. I am looking forward to working with them to ensure that we have rides and amusements in place for this summer, and that we continue to make good on our promise of bringing Coney Island into the future while honoring the history that makes it an iconic, worldwide tourist destination. And I encourage them to remember, when they start hiring, that we have an eager, dedicated workforce right here in Coney Island."

"I am delighted to welcome Central Amusements to America's playground. This summer, Luna Park will shine during the day and sparkle under the stars at night," said Borough President Markowitz. "As they say in Italy, where the roots of Central Amusements were formed, 'Benvenuti alla Republica di Brooklyn!'"

"I welcome the arrival of Central Amusement International and Zamperla to Coney Island, and I'm very pleased that they will be open for business this summer," said Congressman Nadler. "This 10-year agreement will be the foundation upon which we can plan the future redevelopment of Coney Island for the benefit of both residents and visitors, and it is truly a major step in the revitalization of the long-suffering amusement district. New public and private investment in the neighborhood will finally reverse the decline of the amusement district and, critically, create new jobs and economic development locally. I congratulate the City on this positive move forward."

[BrooklynRider]

"I am happy that after all these years of negotiation and speculation we are finally delivering what I hope is a new day for the residents of Coney Island," said State Senator Diane J. Savino. "I want to thank the Mayor's office and the staff of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, but most of all want to thank the residents of Coney Island for their patients and their desire to move the community forward."

"I'm thrilled to welcome Central Amusement International to Coney Island," said Assembly Member Alec Brook-Krasny. "It's great news for Coney Island and the entire City. In today's economy, the prospect of 330 new jobs for the members of our community is significant news and much needed."

"Today's announcement represents a significant step forward in the transformation of Coney Island - offering a substantial down payment on the promise of the Administration's plans for the redevelopment of this important Brooklyn neighborhood," said New York City Economic Development Corporation President Pinsky. "By early this summer, we expect Central Amusements to invest millions of dollars on a vastly-improved and substantially-expanded amusement area, reversing years of decline and disinvestment, while simultaneously creating hundreds of jobs and drawing many, many thousands of visitors to the area. It took a team effort to get to this point and I look forward to celebrating the opening of Luna Park this summer."

"Today is a major milestone for Coney Island. Not long ago, we were celebrating the adoption of a comprehensive rezoning as a first step towards the restoration of Coney Island's title as the world's greatest open and accessible urban amusement park," said City Planning Commissioner Burden. "We are following through with this commitment with the announcement that the new Luna Park will open this summer. This park is the first step towards a permanent year round 27-acre amusement and entertainment district."

"Central Amusement International is excited to be chosen by New York City to be a part of the revitalization of Coney Island," said CAI Vice President Peter Pelle. "Coney Island has long been known as a place of innovative thrills and attractions. Our dedicated team will work with the City to revitalize this iconic New York destination to make it a must-see attraction for locals and visitors coming to New York from around the world. We are bringing back the fun to Coney Island this May and for many years to come."

Luna Park at Coney Island will reestablish the area as an amusement park destination offering 19 new mechanical rides from Antonio Zamperla S.p.A., games, food and beverage concessions, and live entertainment. Four new prototype rides will have their debut in 2010 including Air Race, where riders will soar and barrel roll around a control tower; and the Speedy Coaster, a gravity coaster designed especially for families. In addition, the iconic Astrotower will be repurposed and utilized as signage to draw visitors to the area. By summer 2011, the Scream Zone will expand the park's entertainment offerings by introducing four additional thrill rides, including the debut of two new roller coasters.

Renderings can be viewed at nyc.gov.

Luna Park and the Scream Zone will more than double the acreage currently utilized for amusements in Coney Island, with Luna Park encompassing 3.16-acres on the former Astroland site and the Scream Zone covering an additional 3-acres between West 12th and West 15th Streets. Pursuant to its lease, CAI will pay a base rent to the City of $100,000 per year for each year of its term; the City will also receive additional revenue derived from gross receipts from the amusement park. It is anticipated that existing amusements on other City-owned sites in Coney Island, including the Cyclone and Deno's Wonder Wheel Park, will continue to be operated by their current management for the duration of their leases. Upon expiration of the 10-year interim lease and the completion of necessary infrastructure, the City expects to issue another Request for Proposals to identify a permanent amusement park developer for a lease term of 25 years.

Coney Island Craft Lagers, made by Shmaltz Brewing Company, will celebrate the opening of the new Luna Park with its own brand new summer attraction: Coney Island Luna Lager.

In total, the City will invest over $150 million, together with millions more from the State and federal governments, to improve Coney Island's infrastructure, including upgrading the underground infrastructure throughout the neighborhood and rebuilding large sections of the Boardwalk. The City is currently in design for a new Steeplechase Plaza to serve as the western entryway to the revitalized amusement and entertainment district, with construction expected to commence by fall 2010. The City also expects to break ground on Coney Island Commons, a new residential and community development with more than 180-units of affordable housing and a new, state-of-the-art, 40,000-square-foot YMCA in fall 2010. More than 5,000 new units of new housing will be built in Coney Island in the coming years with more than 900 affordable to low-and-moderate-income families.

CAI currently operates two amusement facilities including Victorian Gardens at Wollman Rink in Central Park and Minitalia Leolandia Amusement Park in Capriate San Gervasio, Italy. Zamperla, which is providing the rides, is the largest manufacturer and designer of amusement park rides in the world and creates nearly 200 rides annually for parks including Disney Parks & Resorts, Morey's Piers, Legoland, Knott's Berry Farm, Universal Studios, Cedar Fair, Six Flags, Sea World and Merlin Entertainment Theme Parks.

[BrooklynRider]

This is the new image of Luna Park posted at Coney Island. Most of the rides initially listed are present, but also the smaller Zamperla star-flyer knock off, Spinning Mouse and log flume.

http://jimvid.smugmug.com/photos/826050872_Whcvg-L.jpg

(http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/#top)

[BrooklynRider]

The Wonder Wheel is going green! Solar panels are being added to power a re-creation of the original 1920s lighting scheme on the swinging cars.

Solar panels on top of the Wonder Wheel cars for the forthcoming LED light package:

http://jimvid.smugmug.com/photos/821655604_J7nji-L.jpg

[MidtownGuy]

Very cool, thanks for the update. I'm so glad the festive atmosphere created by rides is coming back to CI. Hopefully there will be more amusements coming in the future.

[BrooklynRider]

http://www.yournabe.com/articles/2010/04/06/brooklyn/courier-yn_brooklyn_front_p... (http://www.yournabe.com/articles/2010/04/06/brooklyn/courier-yn_brooklyn_front_page-bn_lunaparkprices_2010_04__09_bk.txt)

They’re calling it Luna Park, but the new amusement park set to open in Coney Island next month will not be charging “Nickel Empire” prices.

Central Amusement International — operators of the new park on Surf Avenue — will offer thrill seekers two different price plans, with prices going up on weekends.

The first plan will allow patrons to “pay as they go” with the purchase of $1 credits. Each of Luna Park’s 19 new rides will be worth anywhere between 3 and 7 credits.

The park will also offer wristbands allowing them to ride as many rides as they like, as often as they like, within a four-hour time period.

Weekday wristbands will sell for $26, while weekend wristbands will cost $30.

Astroland, which preceded Luna Park on the Coney Island seashore, charged $5 for its adult rides and $2.50 for the kiddie rides before it closed down in 2008,

Customers could also purchase pay-one-price wrist bands for $23.99 during select times that also included three rides on the Cyclone roller coaster. Luna Park tickets will not include a ride on the Cyclone, which now costs $8 for the first ride, and $5 for each ride immediately thereafter.

The first of Coney Island’s newest rides are expected to arrive from Italy in a few days.

Construction at the park, meanwhile, continued this week in advance of opening day on May 29. A new drainage system designed to help keep Luna Park high & dry during foul weather has already been installed.

Last week, parking along one side of West 10th Street adjacent to Luna Park was temporarily suspended to accommodate construction.

Luna Park officials say that parking will be restored once construction is complete.

[Ninjahedge]

$8 a shot on the Cyclone?


Ouch.

[BrooklynRider]

Yeah, the owners of Astroland still retain the lease. It is really an exhorbitant amount for a coaster that hasn't seen a major renovation in years. It was real sluggish on opening day and barely made it around the turns.

[BrooklynRider]

INTRODUCING THE WORLD'S SMALLEST NON-COMMERCIAL, NON-PRODUCTION BREWERY! (http://coneyislandbrewingcompany.blogspot.com/2010/04/introducing-worlds-smallest-non.html)



http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_usam78CQ5-c/S7jvtez_kMI/AAAAAAAAABM/JDGFaCi40JQ/s400/CI-BREWERY.jpg (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_usam78CQ5-c/S7jvtez_kMI/AAAAAAAAABM/JDGFaCi40JQ/s1600/CI-BREWERY.jpg)
Shmaltz Brewing Company will open the Coney Island Brewing Company in May (on May 15, if all goes according to plan) next door to the Freak Show on 12th Street on Coney Island.

"This will be the world's smallest non-production brewery," Cowan said, "with a brewhouse perhaps able to brew one-tenth of a barrel of beer at a time."

True to the Coney Island spirit, a midget brewer might be hired to run the brewery. There will also be a tasting bar and a small store selling Coney Island Brewing merchandise in the 175-square-foot space.

Coney Island had its heyday decades ago and fell on hard times in recent years. The area is now seeing a resurgence of development, which includes a revamping of the famous amusement park. Recently, the City of New York rezoned and bought a portion of the old Coney Island amusement area and a new operator will be re-opening it as Luna Park at Coney Island. To celebrate this, Shmaltz Brewing will release Luna Lager, a summer attraction that will be "a half-lager/half-ale hybrid wheat beer brewed with a healthy dose of hops and likely multiple yeast strains."

(Ninja & Zippy should like this.)

[Ninjahedge]

Interesting.

I guess the shop would be there just to demo the homebrew kits....


Question, Shmaltz isn't related to the HeBrewery, is it?

[BrooklynRider]

April 23, 2010

Coney Island Getting a $30 Million Italian Makeover

By ELISABETTA POVOLEDO

ALTAVILLA VICENTINA, Italy — Alberto Zamperla sweeps through the cavernous workshop here where his amusement rides are manufactured while workers measure and bang and solder enormous platforms, oddly shaped beams and assorted fiberglass vehicles.

Spring is a busy time for his company, and attractions are being prepared for the summer season that is about to open in theme parks around the world.

This year, however, one destination has Mr. Zamperla racing against the clock: Coney Island in Brooklyn, where in just a few weeks he will present a new amusement park featuring 22 rides, including the Tickler, a family-oriented roller coaster; the whirly Mega Disko; and Air Race, a heart-gulping aerobatic experience.

Coney Island is the largest investment yet in the 50-year history of the Zamperla Group. Zamperla is the majority shareholder of Central Amusement International, the New Jersey-based company that signed an agreement (http://www.nycedc.com/PressRoom/PressReleases/Pages/MayorBloombergandCAIUnveilPlansforExpandedOutdoorA musementatConeyIsland.aspx) in February with New York City to build and manage the amusement area. So far, Central Amusement has spent $15 million on the refurbishment of the park, about half of the $30 million it expects to invest.

“Ride manufacturers have been operating rides in parks or fairgrounds for many years,” said Andreas Veilstrup Andersen, executive director of the European office of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. “However, a project as big as Coney Island is very unusual.”

Time has been tight, with the park’s opening set for the end of May.

“We had a pretty good idea of what we could produce on time,” said Mr. Zamperla, who is chief executive and president. “There’s a lot of pressure, because all eyes are on us. Things just can’t be good, they have to be perfect.”

Luigi De Vita, managing director of the company, added: “When we’re under pressure, we give the best of ourselves.”

Theme parks and amusement parks have a global lure, with about 758 million visitors worldwide in 2007, according to the latest study from PricewaterhouseCoopers on the outlook for entertainment and media. Worldwide revenue in 2007 was $24 billion, the study said.

The Zamperla Group, according to industry experts, is ranked among the top five manufacturers of amusement park rides.

The Coney Island project will be called Luna Park, after the original playground that stood there until World War II. Drawings for the new main gate on Surf Avenue mimic the original design, but flashier.

The park at Coney Island “had its glory but lacked an innovative spirit,” Mr. Zamperla said of a site that in recent decades had become seedy.

In February, Central Amusement won the bid on a 10-year lease to build and operate the park, which sits on a city-owned lot.

“Their specific proposal was a nice blend of honoring the history of Coney Island while developing it as a modern 21st-century amusement park,” said Seth W. Pinsky, president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

The Zamperla Group was chosen because it had a sound track record in operating amusement parks, including the Victorian Gardens, a children’s amusement area at Wollman Rink in Central Park in Manhattan. And it was known as the producer of “some of the most exciting rides in the world,” Mr. Pinsky said.

The Zamperla family has been building amusement park attractions in Altavilla Vicentina since the early 1960s. Alberto’s grandfather, Umberto Zamperla, opened one of the first movie houses in Italy, then moved into carnival attractions. His father, Antonio Zamperla, worked in traveling shows before deciding to settle in this Veneto town to start inventing and manufacturing rides.

Alberto Zamperla, 58, the eldest of five children, took the show on the road, so to speak, and there are now factories or sales offices in several countries, including the United States, China and Russia. His group sells to customers in more than 90 countries and now exports about 95 percent of its products.

There are about 185 employees in Italy, with an additional 270 around the world.

The nuts and bolts of the business — its administration as well as its main manufacturing activities — are at the headquarters near Vicenza, an industrial district that is the third-largest exporting center in Italy, according to the local chamber of commerce.

A stroll though the headquarters at Altavilla Vicentina hints at the complexity of producing amusement park rides for the world’s theme parks, including various Disney (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/disney_walt_company/index.html?inline=nyt-org) Parks (“In our business, it’s the best reference you can have,” Mr. Zamperla said), Six Flags theme parks and malls worldwide. Even the late Michael Jackson (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/j/michael_jackson/index.html?inline=nyt-per)’s Neverland Ranch has Zamperla rides.

On average, the company spends about one million euros ($1.3 million) a year designing new products, using complicated computer algorithms and mathematical models. The attractions are then built and tested here.

Zamperla has dozens of patents on items like merry-go-round decorations and roller-coaster seats.

“This is where ideas are born,” Mr. Zamperla beamed as he looked at the MotoCoaster, a ride being prepared for a dinosaur theme park in Changzhou, China. Each ride requires about a year from design to delivery, he said, and can cost anywhere from 20,000 euros to 6 million euros. The MotoCoaster sells for 3.5 million euros and will be one of the attractions at Coney Island next year.

Demand is growing in new markets, especially in the Middle and Far East. The Zamperla Group has a factory and sales offices in Suzhou, China, to serve the fast-growing Chinese market. “We’re not going to make the mistake of underestimating the Chinese,” he said.

The factory in China produces about four million euros worth of rides for the Chinese market. He exports about the same amount from Italy to China and hopes to reach 20 million euros in sales in two years.

In well-established markets like the United States, long-term success in the amusement ride industry depends on novelty, Mr. Andersen said.

This year, for example, Air Race, an airborne experience that the company describes as “the ultimate thrill ride” will have its debut at Coney Island, alongside more placid family fare. Next year, rides are expected in the Scream Zone, an addition to the park that will feature several Zamperla roller coasters intended mostly for teenagers.

“In the end, all we want to do is build rides that people will enjoy,” Mr. Zamperla said. And Coney Island, he said, “will be the perfect showcase.”




http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/24/business/global/24coney.html

__________________________________________________ ________________

The MOTOCoaster should be pretty cool. It is a launch coaster and rather than sitting inside cars, riders are seated on motorcycles.

http://www.themeparkreview.com/behemothtrip/darienlake_35.jpg


http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm260/CPFan8008/534000076892.jpg

[lofter1]

ZAMPERLA website (http://www.zamperla.com/) with lots of roller coasters (http://www.zamperla.com/en/category/index/id/5) and other fun, including thrill rides (http://www.zamperla.com/en/category/index/id/4) and tower rides with props to the Flash Tower (http://www.zamperla.com/en/product/100/flash-tower.html?category_id=8).

[BrooklynRider]

Coney Island's new Luna Park, modeled after original, will debut 19 thrilling rides on May 29

BY Erin Durkin (http://www.nydailynews.com/authors/Erin%20Durkin)

DAILY NEWS WRITER
Originally Published:Sunday, April 25th 2010, 7:14 PM
Updated: Monday, April 26th 2010, 9:56 AM


http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2010/04/23/alg_luna.jpg The brand-new Luna Park in Coney Island will offer visitors 19 heart-racing rides, like a steep log flume and a roller coaster dubbed the 'Tickler'. WATCH VIDEO BELOW FOR MORE FEATURES.

It's now a drab construction site dotted with piles of dirt - but by Memorial Day weekend, a gleaming new amusement park will rise in Coney Island (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Coney+Island) where Astroland once stood.


"We're working three shifts, around the clock, 2-4/7," said Valerio Ferrari (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Valerio+Ferrari), president of Central Amusement International (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Central+Amusement+International) and Zamperla USA (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/United+States), the companies responsible for building the new Luna Park (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Luna+Park).

Visitors will find 19 new rides, with highlights that include a spinning roller coaster dubbed the Tickler, an airplane ride that will have thrill-seekers "doing corkscrews in jets," a giant swinging pendulum and a log flume with a steep, watery plunge.

There'll be teacups, swings, hot air balloon rides and the Disc-O, which spins passengers up and down a 60-foot rail. Look for a smaller coaster, a flume ride for kids and the Beach Shack, a surfboard ride where the brave are buffeted by simulated winds.

"There will be more edgy rides, and we're going to bring in new rides every year," Ferrari said.

It's been modeled after the original Luna Park, the legendary lunar-themed Coney Island mecca that opened in 1903 and closed because of fire in 1944 - with some thrilling modern twists.

Since his companies were tapped by Mayor Bloomberg (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Michael+Bloomberg) in February to open a park on land the city bought from developer Joe Sitt (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Joe+Sitt), Ferrari has been reading up on Brooklyn (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Brooklyn+(New+York+City)) history and devoured Charles Denson (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Charles+Denson)'s book "Coney Island: Lost and Found."

"One thing that struck me is that even though we have all the technology that we have these days, they had back a hundred years ago amazing rides," he said.

Ferrari said he's never heard of an amusement park being built from scratch so quickly, but he's confident it will be ready in time for the May 29 opening.

Workers are finishing up the painstaking electric, plumbing and foundation work. The rides have been tested at Zamperla's factory in Vicenza (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Vicenza), Italy (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Italy), and are starting to arrive in pieces at the site, where special crews will soon start putting them together.

"We're going to have ...sword swallowers, fire-eaters, some music," Ferrari said. There will also be games, an outdoor restaurant and five food stands.

Boardwalk favorites like Ruby's and the Lola Staar (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Lola+Staar) boutique, which got leases from the city before Central Amusement International took over, will be back this summer, too - even though their long-term fate is unclear.

For Ferrari, 46, who started as a mechanical engineer at Zamperla in Italy 20 years ago, building the Coney Island park is the chance of a lifetime.

"I answered an ad in a newspaper, which I carry with me all the time, believe it or not," he said, showing off the yellowed help-wanted ad he spotted while living in Vicenza.

His girlfriend at the time agreed to accompany him to the United States if he'd marry her.

"I said, 'I'll marry you if I get the job,' and I've been married ever since," he said.

"For us in the amusement industry, everything started in Coney Island. So to be part of the renaissance of Coney Island ...is unique," he said.

"It's like playing soccer in the World Cup."





http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/04/26/2010-04-26_coneys_back_bigtime_brandnew_amusement_park_on_ tap_for_your_summer_enjoyment.html#ixzz0mDIODljI

[antinimby]

Amazing.

In this city, things like that usually takes years and years--decades even--to plan, to get approved, to finance, to go through public review, to go through bidding, to go through environmental review, etc. (OK I'm exaggerating a bit but you get the idea) and they're going to put up, what appears to be great looking amusement area in a few short months?

I've got go see for myself come May 29.

[MidtownGuy]

The video at the nydailynews link (http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/04/26/2010-04-26_coneys_back_bigtime_brandnew_amusement_park_on_ tap_for_your_summer_enjoyment.html#ixzz0mDIODljI) is exciting. The rides look well designed and interesting, as expected from an Italian company with such a history. It's wonderful news and I think it will be an extraordinary success. I like the idea of incorporating architectural elements resembling bits of the old Luna Park. I wish they could do a little more of that...

http://themerica.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/lunapark.jpg

[MidtownGuy]

^don't know why the image attachment is showing like that, both ways. The new forum software seems awkward for me while adding images.

[BrooklynRider]

New Luna Park at C.I. progress photos (by Pablo Jonesy)...

5/10/10 : A tribute to the Parachute Jump:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4031/4597121966_accf4f493c_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1404/4597122032_3898f292c2.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1321/4597121870_72ea219015.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1351/4597122000_48709f09e8_o.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pablo57/sets/72157623843291236/show/

[BrooklynRider]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4066/4589003716_59a8ee0fd2.jpg

http://bighugelabs.com/onblack.php?id=4589003716&size=large (http://bighugelabs.com/onblack.php?id=4589003716&size=large)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/4588383105_222c7bc502.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3317/4588386293_7a9fcc6f91.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4034/4588386041_398266fee8.jpg

[BrooklynRider]

Sunday saw the dismantling of the AstroLand gates. (Photo by ThunderboltKin)

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs342.ash1/29237_403051453400_560743400_4072734_6125354_n.jpg

http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs353.snc3/29237_403051468400_560743400_4072735_7688614_n.jpg

[BrooklynRider]

A new organ? I wonder where it will go....

http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs576.snc3/31403_401807703400_560743400_4046748_6367542_n.jpg

[BrooklynRider]

I'm guessing everyone heard about the arcade fire last week...



http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9Gsu_hMGnVk/S-IqLxEvMFI/AAAAAAAAGdw/jwtiXAau7EM/s400/DSCN3682.JPG (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9Gsu_hMGnVk/S-IqLxEvMFI/AAAAAAAAGdw/jwtiXAau7EM/s1600/DSCN3682.JPG)


(May 5, 2010) Coney arcade on the Bowery in Coney Island was on fire a couple of hours ago! No known cause as of yet. The building is on the corner of W. 12th St and the Bowery. Next to the building is the Coney Island Bank Building which is owned by Thor Equities that has been rumored to be on the endangered list of Thor demolitions. The fire seems to be between the arcade building, owned by a long-time Coney arcade operator, and the adjoining concession. No word yet and the current status or outcome. It is presumed that the fire has, at this point, not spread.

[BrooklynRider]

From Kineticcarnival.blogspot.com

April 28, 2008

Thor Equities Sacrafices Pieces Of Coney History For The Short-Term Buck (http://kineticcarnival.blogspot.com/2010/04/thor-equities-sacrafices-pieces-of.html)



http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9Gsu_hMGnVk/S9jEGOPKrvI/AAAAAAAAGcY/0pZPxntrJaE/s400/coneycolorfinal2_042110%5B2%5D.jpg (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9Gsu_hMGnVk/S9jEGOPKrvI/AAAAAAAAGcY/0pZPxntrJaE/s1600/coneycolorfinal2_042110%5B2%5D.jpg)

New rendering by Thor Equities for the 2011 Summer Season
(Click to enlarge)

Thor Equities releases a rendering for their $10 million dollar plans for the 2011 summer season with a quaint and very non-Coney fast food and retail complex. Last week, ATZ (Amusing the Zillion (http://amusingthezillion.com/2010/04/21/thors-coney-island-tattered-tents-deathwatch-for-historic-buildings/) blog) had us wondering and dreading that we were going to face more of nothing by Thor Equities for the parcels he still owns in Coney Island. Tents from their failed "Flea by the Sea" have been laying their in the winter winds for months. And feared, was the possibility of losing the last remaining historic buildings left in Coney Island. The Henderson, The Grashorn, and the bank building.

Though his land doesn't seem to compete with the former Astroland lot in size, Joe Sitt with Thor Equities is still the largest private land owner in Coney Island. And even though it may not feel like it, Joey Coney Sitt has indeed been very Coney himself. A bizarre real estate spectacle he has played out in Coney by Sitt equipped with fantastical promises, smokes and mirrors, and careless showmanship. Therefore, with a person who wished to be the next Thomas Dundy of Coney Island, there had to be more in store. And now here it is.

Hiring Thinkwell Designs (http://www.thinkwelldesign.com/thinkwell-group/thinkwell-design-production/) once again, Thor Equities wants to make good buisiness use of his parcels even though it sacrifices a couple of Coney's last remaining historiec structures. These Payless shoe boxes with poster billboards don't even pay homage to the Henderson or the Grashorn building. Instead they are simple Trump-like eye sores. It seems that behind it, this is only something to present while covering the real reason: A need to quickly demolish these two historic two-story buildings so that they won't be in the way for much larger development in the future.

If these buildings are too dilapidated then at least these drawings should represent a modern twist to their original version.

At any rate, this is the quote in the press release sent out by Thor's PR, KnickerbockerSKD:

"We are beyond pleased to see the City bringing in new rides to Coney for the 2010 season and beyond. It is critical that all stakeholders in the area invest in new talent and attractions, and this is very big step in the right direction. We look forward to announcing our program for the Summer 2010 season and working shoulder to shoulder with the City not only in the next few months, but also during the many years ahead as City Hall begins to put its more permanent plans into place."

Further speculation is implied by The New York Observer:

The thinking, presumably, is that these new buildings would fetch decent rents, and can go up and down with relative speed, allowing Mr. Sitt to replace them rather quickly with larger hotels or other development if and when he is able to go forward on larger developments. When the city rezoned the area late last year, it struck a deal with Mr. Sitt to buy his property close to the boardwalk, and leave him development sites along Surf Avenue, further away from the water.

[MidtownGuy]

I hate Thor so much I could spit. The shop plans look horrible. Why can't this man ever do the right thing? There IS a way to make money and do the right thing at the same time.

On a brighter note, the rides are looking good. I'm glad there's the talented Italian company doing this. Thanks for posting those photos, I'm really excited to see the new Luna Park next month!

[antinimby]

^ Agreed. Joseph Sitt is a greedy bastard.



Anyway, having the unsightly housing projects in the background hurts the ambiance:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3317/4588386293_7a9fcc6f91.jpg

[Ninjahedge]

They could always put giant advertising screens over them like they do elsewhere in the city! ;)

[MidtownGuy]

Too bad they can't paint them in nice beach colors.

[BrooklynRider]

A story from NY1 News today:

http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/118627/coney-island-park-begins-to-build-thrills

[BrooklynRider]

Progress photos from today.
(Photos by jimvid)

Samba tower and teacups
http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/e019/866962777_54fMv-XL.jpg

you can see where they are laying the base for the log flume in front of the Astrotower.
http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/e049/866964172_hJRsm-X2.jpg

http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/e034/866963948_vi2bD-L.jpg

http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/e033/866963710_EC2rj-XL.jpg


http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/e054/866964596_49hUT-XL.jpg


http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/e014/867038795_EBzVG-L.jpg

[BrooklynRider]

Photos by jimvid

5-19-20

you can see some of the crescent moons that will be part of the entrance stacked here. They were unloading the coaster train for the kiddie coaster from the freight container in front:
http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/e010/872481166_zfBih-L.jpg


you can see some of the flume troth here and also two housings on either side of the former Astrotower (bathrooms perhaps?)
http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/f002/872480401_8KzM3-L.jpg


kiddie flume is set up - coaster track for kiddie coaster is visible in back:
http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/e021/872481854_bkuPS-XL.jpg


I'm guessing this is the frame for the Air race ride:
http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/e017/872481492_aBZhA-L.jpg



http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/e005/872480854_uMD34-L.jpg

[futurecity]

How tacky! I hate the direction NY is going with Cony Island. Just because this place once was a famous amusement park doesn't mean that valuable coastal areas should be wasted on crap ocean-city style horror shows. A more elegant, cultured approach would be far more interesting. Think nice promedades, nice condos and hotels, cafes, high quality family restaurants, retail, a newbuilt town center - just what any sophisticated beach town would be. The park will just lower the quality of any further development IMO. This new park will be nothing compared to the classy 1920's one, so there really ain't any point of trying to recreate it.

Think how stunning this oceanfront could have been without ugly rollercoastes and freak shows. Why do we have to copy England for our oceanfront areas with our fast-food, rides, etc (think santa monica pier also). Anybody ever heard of Blackpool, England -- this is what this reminds me of, and it ain't pretty. I don't understand the infatuation with stupid thrill rides here, when you can get real rollercoasters at countless parks elsewhere. The oceanfront should be an elegant place especially when you have only a couple of decent beach areas in NYC. It should not be a trashy tacky hell hole!

YOu do't see these kind of areas in Italy, France, Thailand, etc... even in the modern resorts, they don't promote this ugly way of living -- fast food, trashy shows, kiddy rides made of brutal steel monstrosities, etc.. they respect the ocean and blend with it. Instead, we Americans seem to prefer the vulgar ocean city than the low-key but relaxing aussie or med resorts.

[lofter1]

Some people just hate it when others have fun.

Where else in the NYC vicinity can anyone get on the subway and end up at a roller coaster?

[ZippyTheChimp]

The oceanfront should be an elegant place especially when you have only a couple of decent beach areas in NYC.Rockaway Beach is the largest city ocean beach in the US .

Over 500 miles of shoreline, and some people want every foot of it to be condos and hotels.

[futurecity]

No, I want people to have fun, but having fun doesn't have to involve fairground rides and freakshows and whatnot! Some people actually like a more elegant, low key and sophisticated city beach like you would find in Barcelona or Sydney - cafes, restos, beachwalks, fish places. Not everyone likes thrill rides and vomit inducing greasy hot dogs you know. I'm not elitist, but I guess the fast food joints they are building just irks me. Arn't we supposed to be encouraging decent food establishments in the era of obesity and heart issues? Really, we have too much so learn from the slow food nations who can provide decent food at a low cost.

Hopefully the other part of the development will be more elegant.

Rockaway beach is not the type of beach i was alluding to.

I guess, it is all better than a run down beach i suppose.

[ZippyTheChimp]

No, I want people to have fun, but having fun doesn't have to involve fairground rides and freakshows and whatnot!Well, some people want that.

You're carrying on like CI is the only waterside opportunity left.

Hello...Governors Island.

Should I go on?

[BrooklynRider]

Photo by Best View of Coney:

New Luna Park Entrance being constructed on Surf Ave.

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/8311/dsc01523it.jpg (http://img202.imageshack.us/i/dsc01523it.jpg/)


http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/2567/dsc01522k.jpg (http://img714.imageshack.us/i/dsc01522k.jpg/)

[BrooklynRider]

Slide show of the construction of the new entrance (by Pablo Jonesy)

Raw slide show, starts on the Q train, of course, also has a video clip.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pablo57/sets/72157623979600719/show/

[BrooklynRider]

(Courtesy of Thunderboltkin 5/21/2010)

Beautiful day out in Coney today. Lots of people at the beach. The Wonder Wheel was open.
I spoke to fellow working at the Luna Park site. He was head of safety standards of the rides. He said the city comes in periodically checking on the construction of the rides. Test will begin shortly.
I asked him about the Astro Tower. He said it would be open next year. That there was a lot of work to be done on it. They have removed the original motor.
I told him they were doing great work and they were part of history. He thanked me. There is a very positive vibe on that work site.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs343.ash1/29287_407118613400_560743400_4154557_559285_n.jpg

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http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs343.ash1/29287_407118853400_560743400_4154587_2845378_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs334.snc3/29287_407118868400_560743400_4154588_1732174_n.jpg
Boardwalk work carried on as well...

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs343.ash1/29287_407118873400_560743400_4154589_7598809_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs354.snc3/29287_407118878400_560743400_4154590_5404741_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs343.ash1/29287_407118888400_560743400_4154592_613632_n.jpg
Something being delivered to Luna Park

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs334.snc3/29287_407118893400_560743400_4154593_7987599_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs343.ash1/29287_407118903400_560743400_4154595_3012176_n.jpg

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http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs334.snc3/29287_407118948400_560743400_4154600_782554_n.jpg

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs354.snc3/29287_407119023400_560743400_4154607_1701721_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs343.ash1/29287_407119038400_560743400_4154610_2999287_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-sjc1/hs334.snc3/29287_407119048400_560743400_4154612_6160535_n.jpg

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http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs343.ash1/29287_407119103400_560743400_4154618_5720734_n.jpg

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http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs343.ash1/29287_407119243400_560743400_4154635_6147789_n.jpg




Back to top (http://www.coneyisland.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1266085458/210#top)

[BrooklynRider]

Photos by Jimvid

5-22-10
http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/l036/875066772_cxzhE-L.jpg


the beginning of laying asphalt:
http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/l018/875066553_ADQYh-L.jpg


completed kiddie coaster structure:
http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/l014/875066350_x3dXq-L.jpg


more of the log flume getting ready to be unloaded:
http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/l012/875066244_RqzhH-L.jpg


http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/l047/875066939_xiZs3-L.jpg

http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/l052/875067137_qvbU4-L.jpg


Back to top (http://www.coneyisland.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1266085458/225#top)

[BrooklynRider]

From Jimvid

(5-23-10)

http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/l022/876026019_7yTL7-L.jpg


http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/j007/876025710_7bXzq-L.jpg


there's a coaster train on the kiddie coaster track http://www.coneyisland.com/yabbfiles/Templates/Forum/default/smiley.gif
you can see the kiddie speed boat ride to the left and other construction:
http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/l030/876026371_A2oxR-L.jpg


ticket booths:
http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/l01j8/876032130_2cp8V-L.jpg


http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/l039/876026521_SEf32-L.jpg

[BrooklynRider]

I was there today and have a load of pics to upload. In the meantime, these are from today by Pablo Jonesy)

5/23.10; 6PM

Surf Ave Gate
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4043/4633709958_ce2574d19a.jpg


Tickler Roller Coaster Sign Installation
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3364/4633710334_d0fafd133c.jpg


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3392/4633113471_b302849376.jpg



http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3367/4633709780_bed4546cbe.jpg

[BrooklynRider]

Photos by Jimvid

5-24-10

http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/m028/877725556_86JhV-L.jpg


http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/m001/877724561_cPVSR-L.jpg


http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/m003/877724974_d88it-L.jpg


http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/m52/877726530_xvCcP-L.jpg


http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/m043/877726177_npwfz-L.jpg

[BrooklynRider]

Photos by Jimvid

here's the beach shack:
http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/m024/877901215_PRzF7-L.jpg

Race Cone, the size of a flatbed truck.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3330/4636987381_cedb292e64.jpg


http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4068/4636987433_5b293cd2bb.jpg


Front Gate and Wonder Wheel
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4037/4636987229_09564ba52e.jpg


Front Gate and Cyclone
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/4636987315_4abce37261.jpg


Log Flume
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3370/4637596762_1150716210.jpg


http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4050/4637597126_406b0142ef.jpg


Cans and Benches
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3342/4636987607_9f0a8fc45c.jpg

[BrooklynRider]

Photos by jimvid

5-25-10
http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/n100/879269972_e7SaC-L.jpg


http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/n010/878616063_VEZxB-L.jpg


http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/n076/879268479_UJLj8-L.jpg


http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/n069/879268121_SCCK7-L.jpg


http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/n057/879267684_LpTCx-L.jpg


http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/n119/879270888_kPqJi-L.jpg


http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/n106/879270258_W5nkM-L.jpg

[BrooklynRider]

Photos by Pablo Jonesy

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3402/4640329615_6a3acc2769.jpg


Moon over Luna and Cyclone
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3383/4640938422_04b72b5587.jpg


http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4031/4640329807_23f9725b6d.jpg


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3364/4640937978_0940eea4ec_o.jpg

[BrooklynRider]

photo & video report by Thunderbolt Kin

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs354.snc3/29287_408492638400_560743400_4190532_259647_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs354.snc3/29287_408492663400_560743400_4190536_6325754_n.jpg
As I was taking the above picture an inspector from the city sees me and says "are you going to take a picture of the Tower when it falls?"
I had noticed it was swaying and I asked him what was up. He wasn't sure but he thought that it might be the "harmonics" from the heavy equipment causing it to sway.

I just happened to run into Charles Denson a few minutes later at the site and he assured me that this was normal and it has happened many time over the years. He said the precinct gets calls all the time from people who think the Tower is falling. Charles told me this happens whenever the wind blows in a certain direction.
I can say that I've never seen it do this.
Here's a little video I took of it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOGVfxmOtUU&feature=player_embedded


http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs334.snc3/29287_408492668400_560743400_4190537_7043618_n.jpg

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http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs343.ash1/29287_408492838400_560743400_4190567_7165931_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs334.snc3/29287_408492843400_560743400_4190568_1475685_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs334.snc3/29287_408492858400_560743400_4190571_4400701_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs354.snc3/29287_408492863400_560743400_4190572_3190302_n.jpg

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs334.snc3/29287_408492868400_560743400_4190573_5795070_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs334.snc3/29287_408492893400_560743400_4190576_7920609_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs343.ash1/29287_408492923400_560743400_4190580_917366_n.jpg

[lofter1]

Does someone we know now work with this project? That could be fun ...

[BrooklynRider]

WNY Meet-up at Luna Park!

[BrooklynRider]

Photo by Pablo Jonesy

Simply amazing, photos cannot capture the beauty.
Multi colors, flashing patterns, hypnotizing, mesmerizing,
Has to seen in person.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3368/4643824822_0d74d11c89_b.jpg

[BrooklynRider]

Photos by jimvid

http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/p144/880359223_mEpHV-L.jpg


http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/p083/880359052_iGXS4-L.jpg


Crazy Mouse (aka Tickler) car
http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/p017/880358340_njsUR-L.jpg


http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/p003/880358162_JMZFS-L.jpg

The almost completed air race with cone on top - you can also the super structure for the Brooklyn flyer that has arrived lying on the ground.
http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/p018/880358737_32Zhv-L.jpg


http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/p155/880359455_aAqGV-L.jpg

http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/p091/880381587_CsT22-L.jpg

Back to top (http://www.coneyisland.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1266085458/300#top)

[BrooklynRider]

Photos by Thunderbolt kin

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs334.snc3/29287_408770978400_560743400_4196334_45255_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs343.ash1/29287_408773498400_560743400_4196392_394857_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs343.ash1/29287_408773513400_560743400_4196393_5084033_n.jpg
There's the moon smiling on the new Luna Park.

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs354.snc3/29287_408773518400_560743400_4196394_5522299_n.jpg

[BrooklynRider]

(photos from jimvid)

5-27-10
The Brooklyn Flyer rises:
http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/q015/881278811_RMQGr-L.jpg

http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/q019/881279217_MTiAX-L.jpg

http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/q022/881279557_DzqDV-L.jpg

http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/q033/881280579_Ltroh-L.jpg

And a few more:
http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/q090/881281037_5tytQ-L.jpg

rides being inspected:
http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/q059/881291520_oY5Sr-L.jpg


http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/q097/881281372_yQ4Xf-L.jpg

http://jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/Coney-2010-Misc-upload/q118/881281682_jvjBQ-L.jpg
Back to top (http://www.coneyisland.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1266085458/315#top)

[BrooklynRider]

(Photo and video from TomVu)

I was able to get down there tonight and get the following photo & video.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4048/4646693822_362dd86d23.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomvu/4646693822/

Video:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomvu/4646657838/

[lofter1]

Very festive :D

They should plaster the whole place with lights.

[BrooklynRider]

Just got back from the park. It looks great. It really feels like visiting another amusement park (the carni feel of Astroland is gone for good).

Most of the adult rides were not yet open, including the family coaser, the Tickler (spinnig wild mouse), the Electric Spin (mega disk'o), Race Flyer (which looks absolutely awesome), and the flume. I watched as the 100" swing ride was going through final inspections. While I can appreciate the inspectors wanting to do a thorough job and ensure safety, one of them was a complete not a very nice person and was telling folks lined up that the ride wouldn't be opening. An hour later it was flying high.

The park looks beautiful. What a difference a professionally laid out park makes. It felt more spacious, but queues had not yet been set uo. None of it looks like temporary carnival rides.

I was not loving the fencing around rides, which was made up pf police type barriers used to herd humans during parades and protests.

I bough two t-shirts. I talked to the woman in the booth and told her exciting the whole day was for me. I asked her if she was excited too and this is what I heard (almost verbatim): "Eh, kind of, it's okay I guess." I told her it was a great day and it was her job to keep everyone pumped up. She told me she was a "supervisor", but seemed to be bored and completely disengaged from everything around her. The guy in the t-shirt booth shot me a look that said, "Yeah, I know... and I got to work here with this downer of a gal."

The staff was working very hard (other than her) and were clearly identifiable by their orange shirts. I spoke to a CAI guy and he said to stay tuned because a lot more will be coming over the next weeks.

The entrance to the park is awesome. There is a keen sense of arrival as you walk thru the gates and under the red and white tent.

The lines for tickets were ridiculous and POP tickets were reduced to $15 due to the unopened rides. Security was everywhere, although understated and the crowds were well-behaved and more family-oriented.

The detailing on each ride was incredible. This is definitely a Coney-Island-Themed-Park. Top-notch.

Because the adult rides were not operating, Deno's caught a lot of the over flow and was crowded as well. I headed over to the El Dorado Bumper Cars. The crowd was out the doors and the ride was long-lasting with everyone leaving in a good mood. Polar Express and Saturn were also drawing crowds.

The Side Show was booming as well. I hung out in the Freak bar for a bit and the applause from the crowd inside was electrifying.

I had lunch at Nathan's and my pistachio cone at Denny's.

What was the down side to all of this? Thor's properties.

Unlike a lot of other people on these boards, I am ready to see this portion of Coney Island demolished and rebuit, including the Grashorn, Shore Hotel, and Henderson's. This is an absolute blight and, if the city can seize private property for Atlantic Yards, seizing this strip is a no-brainer. (Excluding El Dorado)

While Deno's and Luna were wonderful experiences, the pure delapidated crap along here should be seized and turned over to one of the other firms that bid on the Luna site. Three operators bid - there's plenty more potential amusement area to go around.

Luna Park is beautiful, right down to it's LED lit lamposts (which cost $10,000 each), park benches, trash cans and brand spanking new restrooms. Seeing this materialize in three months makes it clear how intentionally destructive Joe Sitt and Thor have been to the area. It is time to use eminent domain and seize that land.

I had to leave early, but cannot wait to see the park at night. It is going to be a wonder. Everything is lined in lights.

This is a moment everyone has been waiting for.

I have to upload my pics later.

Have fun! http://www.coneyisland.com/yabbfiles/Templates/Forum/default/grin.gif

[BrooklynRider]

6/3/10 Photos by Pablo Jonesy

No more chainlink fence!

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4002/4668847492_bfc4d9b13e.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4057/4668223541_c9d5d2f529.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4015/4668847606_779170a681.jpg

[meesalikeu]

now that throwback i do like!!!

[BrooklynRider]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4040/4683585194_71aa50b640_b.jpg

[ZippyTheChimp]

Going to the home-and-home openers on June 18-19 between the SI Yankees and Brooklyn Cyclones.

Friday night in St George.
Saturday night in Coney Island.

Oh, and Mermaid Parade Saturday afternoon.

Sleep all day Sunday.

[BrooklynRider]

Great video of the Luna Park Air Race ride.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onvjwck3dyU

[ZippyTheChimp]

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/images/icons/icon14.gif http://wirednewyork.com/forum/images/icons/icon13.gif http://wirednewyork.com/forum/images/icons/icon14.gif http://wirednewyork.com/forum/images/icons/icon13.gif http://wirednewyork.com/forum/images/icons/icon14.gif http://wirednewyork.com/forum/images/icons/icon13.gif

[MidtownGuy]

oh wow, that thing looks nuts...I didn't realize they go upside down too! you could never get me on it but I enjoy watching the other people do it.

[ZippyTheChimp]

Someone is going to convince me to go on that thing this weekend. Next week, Edward is going to have to mail me my password.

[ablarc]

What a fabulous re-creation of what once-and-future Coney Island stood for!

Would have commented sooner, but I didn't even click on this thread, figuring it would be the same litany of failure we've grown so sadly used to with the misnamed Thor, who knew not how to throw lightning.

But this ... this is something else. F A B U L O U S.

Too bad we had to go to Italy to get it (in Italy, they still believe in tacky, thank God).

Bring on more.



(And thanks, BrooklynRider, for your faithful documentation; for the purposes of this forum, you are truly the Coney Island schlockmeister. Bravo!)

[MidtownGuy]

Yes, thanks BrooklynRider! It's great stuff! I hope to check things out for myself when I attend the Mermaid Parade. Something good.
I would sure like to see the project towers sprayed in cheerful seashore-appropriate colors. What a huge difference that alone would make to the backdrop.

[ablarc]

Well, the colors are already pretty cheerful. Give the sun a year or two to fade them to pastel hues.

[MidtownGuy]

I mean the brown apartment towers in the background. I would like to see them colored somehow.

[Fabrizio]

What a fabulous re-creation of what once-and-future Coney Island stood for!

Too bad we had to go to Italy to get it (in Italy, they still believe in tacky, thank God).

Bring on more.



^ And I think in Italy they still believe in "charm" too. I think that's what the proposals for Coney Island were lacking. There was no faith in low-tech rinky-dink.

The amusement parks here still remind me of the old photos of Coney island, Steel Pier, Times Square. There is innocence.

Light bulbs against the sky:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v33/ronaldo/it_01.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v33/ronaldo/it_07.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v33/ronaldo/it_08.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v33/ronaldo/it_06.jpg

[meesalikeu]

i saw this by the pier - anyone know the eta?


http://i945.photobucket.com/albums/ad293/meesalikeu5/9ef8b36d.jpg

[BrooklynRider]

They were up. No one went on, because the price was too steep. It was like $5 to slide down once.

[infoshare]

i saw this by the pier - anyone know the eta?

In addition to cost: I have read there was some 'permit' issues. Some news here (http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2010/07/21/2010-07-21_slip_slip_sliding_away_coney_water_park_faces_p ermit_woe.html): if I am correct about this being the same Cony Isl attraction.

excerpt -
Water Slide Beach - featuring three inflatable water slides, bungee jumping, lounge chairs and food - was supposed to open on July 4 weekend.

But state officials threw cold water on that plan - saying the attraction failed to get a special permit it needs because the beach is located in a "coastal erosion hazard area" - and now it's unclear when it will be able to open.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation sent a cease and desist letter days before owner Anthony Gach was planning to open.



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2010/07/21/2010-07-21_slip_slip_sliding_away_coney_water_park_faces_p ermit_woe.html#ixzz0upmvZErr

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2010/07/21/2010-07-21_slip_slip_sliding_away_coney_water_park_faces_p ermit_woe.html

[BrooklynRider]

I think you have the right attraction. It was extremely underwhelming.

[lofter1]

From the past ...

Moving the Brighton Beach Hotel away from the Coney Island shore, 1893:

11078

NYPL Digital Gallery; Image ID: 801284 (http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm?trg=1&strucID=717502&imageID=801284&total=200&num=180&word=railroad%20yards&s=1&notword=&d=&c=&f=&k=0&lWord=&lField=&sScope=&sLevel=&sLabel=&imgs=20&pos=182&e=w#_seemore)

Printed on border: "Showing the bodily removal of the Brighton Beach Hotel, Coney Island, New York, by the aid of six locomotives. The hotel is 170 yards long by 15 yards deep, and was moved about 175 yards inland form the sea, which had begun to sap the foundations."

[ZippyTheChimp]

From a gigantic railroad archive:

Moving the Brighton Beach hotel (http://arrts-arrchives.com/brbchmove.html)

If you go to the NYC map (http://gis.nyc.gov/doitt/nycitymap/) page, and click on the 1924 view, you can make out ghosts of the Brooklyn Flatbush & Coney Island RR tracks that terminated at the hotel.

[Merry]

Is nothing sacred? :rolleyes:


Coney Island folk rage over plan to put concrete in place of historic boardwalk

BY Erin Durkin

http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2010/10/29/alg_concrete_boardwalk.jpg
Stroller walks from traditional wood to prototype concrete on Boardwalk.

That's no boardwalk. That's a sidewalk.

The iconic 42-block Riegelmann Boardwalk at Coney Island may be headed for a makeover as a concrete-slabbed walkway, city officials said.

Outraged residents hissed and shouted at Parks Department officials who presented a $7.4 million project to rebuild a five-block chunk of the fabled stretch with concrete.
City officials indicated at a local meeting they were thinking about redoing most of the rest of the stretch the same way.

"It is a boardwalk! It is not a sidewalk!" shouted Brighton Beach resident Ida Sanoff at the Community Board 13 meeting Wednesday night. "It looks like crap. ... You're looking for the cheap way out and the easy way out. Not acceptable!"

City officials hope to eventually rehab the whole beatup walkway and are leaning toward using concrete everywhere except the Coney Island amusement area, which already got a wood makeover.

"Certainly if we use it and it's successful, as we expect it would be, we would be proposing it for future projects," Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey told the Daily News after the meeting.

Locals, fiercely protective of the Boardwalk, weren't having it.

"This is a historic, hundred-year-old, world-famous Boardwalk ... and we're going to turn it into a sidewalk which is harmful to people's feet, their joints, their bones?" railed Ruby Schultz, 76, who walks the Boardwalk every day. "This is an absolute disgrace."

For the past year, the city has been testing the concrete slabs against real wood and plastic lumber to see which holds up better by laying the three materials down on different parts of the Boardwalk.

The uproar at the meeting started when a Parks Department official announced the tan-colored textured concrete has won out.

"One, it's certainly more economical. Two, it does not break or rot. Three, it is not slippery. Four, it is easy to repair," Jeffrey said.

The concrete costs $90 a square foot, compared to $114 for plastic lumber and $138 for wood. The project, which would stretch from Brighton 15th St. to Coney Island Ave., would kick off late next year and take at least a year.

Some sided with the city.

"It looks good," said Mark Yanklevich, 73. "People are used to seeing boards on a boardwalk, but from a practical point of view I think this makes sense."

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2010/10/29/2010-10-29_holy_cannoli_dont_pave_da_boardwalk_coney_is_fo lks_rage_over_plan.html?r=ny_local&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nydnrss%2Fny_local+%28NY+Loca l%29

[212]

^ Gaw, what a crummy idea.

Can't believe Coney Island is still falling victim to "urban renewal" ideas (concrete! slum clearance!) decades after they've been discredited everywhere else.

We so need to preserve the historic amusement architecture that's left. And if the city wants to make some changes, the best idea I've heard was suggested by MidtownGuy right here (http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3055&p=324795&viewfull=1#post324795) -- paint the bricky projects in beach colors.

[212]

Some good news: Coney Island's Shore Theater is Named a Landmark (http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12403&p=347038&viewfull=1#post347038)

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/12/14/blogs/cityroom-surf/cityroom-surf-blog480.jpg

[Stroika]

Great, so we can be assured that Coney Island will have one more building standing this summer that isn't a grisly 1960s housing project monolith. That brings the grand total to ... one.

This effectively defines "too little, too late." Really a shame what is happening in real time to Coney Island, which is (?) / was (?) a true experience to visit even a year or two back.

[brianac]

Landmarks Preservation Commission
January 11, 2011, Designation List 437
LP- 2410


CHILDS RESTAURANT BUILDING,

1208 Surf Avenue (aka 1202-1212 Surf Avenue, 3002-


3014 West 12th Street), Brooklyn.



Built 1917; John C. Westervelt, architect.

Landmark Site: Borough of Brooklyn Tax Map Block 8694 Lot 18.





On March 23, 2010 the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing on the proposed designation as a Landmark of the Childs Restaurant Building, and the proposed designation of the related Landmark Site (Item No.5).The hearing had been duly advertised in accordance with the provisions of law. There were 10 speakers in favor of designation, including representatives of Councilmember Dominic Recchia, Coney Island USA, Save Coney Island, Coney Island History Project, the Municipal Art Society, the Landmarks Conservancy, the Historic Districts Council, and the architect for the building. There were no speakers opposed to designation. The Commission has received more than 60 letters and emails in support of designation.




http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/Childs_Restaurant_CI_jeh.jpg/781px-Childs_Restaurant_CI_jeh.jpg (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Childs_Restaurant_CI_jeh.jpg)



Summary


The Childs Restaurant Building on Surf Avenue in Coney Island was the first restaurant built for this well-known chain in Coney Island, at a time when the area was changing from its somewhat seedy aura of summer amusements to a wholesome, family resort that could be enjoyed year-round. The Childs Restaurant chain, begun in 1889, developed as small luncheonettes that catered to working people, where one could find decent meals for a reasonable price in a clean

environment. As such, it was the perfect type of establishment for the “new Coney Island.” This building was constructed in 1917 in West Brighton near the terminus of the Prospect Park and Coney Island Railway line and close by many of the most famous amusements of the area. Childs Restaurant filled the need for a respectable but not expensive restaurant for the many working-class New Yorkers who flocked to the beach for a relaxing day in the sun. As the area prospered, a second and larger Childs was built at 21 st Street facing the new Boardwalk. This first restaurant continued to operate in this location until 1943 when the property was leased to the Blue Bird Casino and restaurant. During the following years the building continued to house restaurants, clubs and other activities related to Coney Island’s amusements. It was the site of David Rosen’s Wonderland Circus Sideshow and, since 2007, has been the location of Coney Island U.S.A. and the Coney Island Museum, which documents the history of this famous New York City neighborhood. Originally designed by John C. Westervelt who worked for the Childs chain for many years, the building displays elements of the Spanish Revival style, seen in its overhanging red tile roof, round-arched openings and white facade. Its wide arches facing two streets served as grand welcoming gestures to crowds passing by, while the style suggests a warm Mediterranean resort and hint at the fun to be had in Coney Island. This building is a rare survivor from a many years of Coney Island history, beginning when an assortment of amusements and the sea air attracted thousands of pleasure-seekers escaping from the nearby hot city through the present day.




http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/reports/2410.pdf

[antinimby]

Seniors on the 'rise'


http://www.nypost.com/rw/nypost/2011/06/08/news/web_photos/View032156--300x300.jpg

By RICH CALDER
Posted: 1:43 AM, June 8, 2011 (http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/seniors_on_the_rise_RGooF33rzahk8OwO0Ad87I#ixzz1Om fKdGnU)


Forget the Cyclone, bingo night could be the next big attraction in Coney Island.
High-rise housing is coming to the western end of the fabled boardwalk after five decades of failed attempts -- and seniors could be the primary recipients of the 415 market-rate rentals planned by Gristedes supermarket magnate John Catsimatidis’ firm Red Apple Real Estate.

During a public hearing Monday on the "Ocean Dreams" seaside plan between W. 34th and W. 36th streets, Borough President Marty Markowitz said he believes it should be marketed towards people 55 and over to be "most successful."


Markowitz even called for reserving at least one of the projects three towers, which range from 14 to 22 stories high, for seniors only.

"People who are 55, 60 years old don’t want to live in a building with screaming kids," said the 66-year-old Markowitz.

Lawyer Jay Segal, who is overseeing Red Apple’s application for a needed city permit, said the developer plans to market hard towards attracting individuals 55 and over, adding he believes it’s a "strong market."

He said the developer would seriously consider Markowitz’s proposal and another by the Beep to include an A-list seafood restaurant in the project’s 24,790 square feet of ground-floor retail.

The Riegelmann Boardwalk lacks quality eateries; Markowitz said the closest is Tatiana’s, a Russian supper club two miles away in Brighton Beach.

Segal said the project isn’t expected to break ground until 2013 and open until 2014. He said it’s too soon to predict rental rates.

The 428,000-square-foot project, which also includes 418 parking spaces and a supermarket, recently received local support from Community Board 13.

The city, through a 2009 area rezoning, opted to keep condos out of the amusement district, instead designating them to underused tracts to the west. The Red Apple site, a former bus lot, has been targeted for housing since at least 2005.

Developers had tried, but failed, for decades to get city blessing to build high-rise units along the boardwalk. This includes real estate tycoon Fred Trump’s bid in the 1960s to build Miami Beach-style high-rises at the former Steeplechase Park site, and most recently, developer Joe Sitt’s failed bid to build seaside condos in the amusement area.

Copyright 2011 NYP Holdings, Inc.

[futurecity]

How many world cities have a beachfront area in their city limits? Not many! It is an extremely nice perk to have!

I've always been befuddled in regard to the misuse of this amazing piece of land. What wasted potential. If only it had decent transportation (i.e, commuter rail (fast)), the place would be a highly desirable location and I'm sure it would be upscale rather than disgusting and run-down. If you could get into manhattan on the train in 20 mins, you'd see this place be the second central park west. Almost like NY's Bondi Beach. However, NY rail is pretty much a joke. NY needs another layer of intra city rail in addition to the subway and commuter rail, i.e, RER. The subway is too slow for long distances and traffic in NYC is disgusting and unacceptable.

[ZippyTheChimp]

It's the weather, not transportation.

Coney Island in summer.

http://www.robert-alonso-photos.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/3ConeyIslandBeach.jpg

Coney Island in winter.

http://c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I00005CVunN0am2g/s/880/880/Tables-and-benches-Coney-Island.jpg

[futurecity]

Weather is harsh in winter, but that wouldn't stop me from living there if it was developed properly. The ocean is the ocean. Living there for the other 3 seasons would make up for it. I can imagine many people would like it if there were a mix of indoor and outdoor areas for shopping, entertainment, etc. I can imagine a mix of indoor malls and an outdoor town center. Anyway, the commute is too long.

There are many upscale seaside areas in cold climates around the world. I.e, Dublin Ireland which has howling gales in winter along its upscale shores. Most of the high class areas in that city are on the sea.

If Toronto & Chicago have people living on the lake in upscale condos with all that icy frozen wind, I don't see how a milder NYC couldn't handle it! In Chicago the wind off the lake can be bone chilling. Their 'gold coast' is basically lake front not inland somewhere.

[ZippyTheChimp]

If you think it's transportation, then explain Manhattan Beach to the east. Only subway line is the Q. Unless you live on the western edge, it's over one and a half miles to either the Brighton Beach or Sheepshead Bay stations.

Developed enough?

Is the commute too long?


If Toronto & Chicago have people living on the lake in upscale condos with all that icy frozen wind, I don't see how a milder NYC couldn't handle it! In Chicago the wind off the lake can be bone chilling. Their 'gold coast' is basically lake front not inland somewhere. What does this edited-in bit of information have to do with what you said about TRANSPORTATION being the problem in Coney Island?

[antinimby]

I think futurecity has some good points. They could do so much more with Coney Island and weather should not be an excuse.

There are ways to make it year-round.

New York is underachieving with the assets it does have but then again...we all know that, so that's hardly anything new.

[ZippyTheChimp]

I think futurecity has some good points.Ther only point I disagreed with was the original post - that transportation was the problem.


They could do so much more with Coney Island and weather should not be an excuse.Weather wasn't an excuse. The winter-summer views showed that transportation has nothing to do with it, if so, both views would be empty.


There are ways to make it year-round.Yes, that's the problem. The weather doesn't make it a year-round beach destination.

[antinimby]

Ther only point I disagreed with was the original post - that transportation was the problem.Actually, transportation is a deterrent. It takes almost an hour on the subway just to get to Lower Manhattan. Forget Midtown. That might as well be another planet.


Weather wasn't an excuse. The winter-summer views showed that transportation has nothing to do with it, if so, both views would be empty.Why would it be empty in the summer?

Going to Coney Island for a day at the beach doesn't require as much effort as having to commute to/from work everyday.


Yes, that's the problem. The weather doesn't make it a year-round beach destination.You can do other things besides the beach. That's the point. They should try to get creative. Instead, they've taken the approach that it's a winter wasteland so just do nothing.

[ZippyTheChimp]

AN, go back and read post 626.

Maybe you can explain Manhattan Beach. Or do we have to list all the fully developed places in NYC with commute times greater than 20 minutes.

Why is it so hard to follow one line: transportation is the problem > no it isn't.

[antinimby]

So your gauge is that if something is fully developed = making the most out of what its got?

[ZippyTheChimp]

Going to Coney Island for a day at the beach doesn't require as much effort as having to commute to/from work everyday.The population density of Coney Island is 32,000 per sq mile.

[ZippyTheChimp]

So your gauge is that if it is fully developed = making the most out of something?What are you talking about? All I said (actually implied) was that a 20 minute commute isn't going to fix Coney Island.

[antinimby]

The population density of Coney Island is 32,000 per sq mile.


And that makes it according to this NYC Gov map (http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/census/census2010/m_pl_p2_nta.pdf) on par with sleepy Queens Village, and northern parts of Staten Island despite having subway access while the others don't.

[ZippyTheChimp]

^
The density of all Brooklyn is about 36,000 peer square mile. If you think that 32,000 is a population problem, you're delusional.

[antinimby]

I never said density was the problem. You are the one that brought up density (as if that was the barometer of success). I was just going along with you.

The fact is that the income of the Coney Island area is very much below city average. Density and population is very misleading.

The folks that are there, are not necessarily there by choice. It might as well be called Ghetto by the Sea.

Is that the best the city could do with what is arguably its best oceanside location?

That's the point.

[ZippyTheChimp]

I only brought up density to show that transportation isn't the problem.

You seem to want the city to be perfect, to be developed to the ultimate, everyone rich and living in multi-million dollar condos, public funds overflowing.

The real world is nothing like that.

But if you think that putting in a 20 minute train to Coney Island (never mind the diverted resources) is the answer to its problems, go right ahead with that delusion.

[antinimby]

So let's let some places lie fallow or not fully reach its potential just so we can "real world" it up, right?

LOL.

The city being too "perfect" is hardly the problem.

And no, I did not say transportation was the only answer. Even if you have a 5 minute bullet train to Times Square from Coney Island isn't going to do much if you don't do anything with the place.

You are the one that latched onto the 20 minute subway ride thing and ran off with it.

Transportation is only part of the solution.

[ZippyTheChimp]

And no, I did not say transportation was the answer.Then what's our disagreement?


You are the one that latched onto the 20 minute subway ride thing and ran off with it.I suggested you go back and read futurecity's post. He brought up the 20 minute commute. I said that wasn't the problem. Then he started talking about all the places people live by the sea in cold weather, completely missing the point of the two photos.

Anything else?

[antinimby]

Then what's our disagreement?You totally dismiss it as an issue. I on the other hand, think it is part of the problem though not the biggest problem.

It should be improved. Right now, it is a deterrent to a large part of the working class that would even consider it a home or the tourists staying in Manhattan.

[ZippyTheChimp]

You totally dismiss it as an issue."It" being what?

[antinimby]

Transportation.

[ZippyTheChimp]

So explain Manhattan Beach.

[antinimby]

What about it?

It looks like just another residential neighborhood.

[ZippyTheChimp]

Is transportation a problem?

[antinimby]

If you want to turn Coney Island into another sleepy, unremarkable residential community (of which there are many) or keep it as it is right now, then no it isn't.

But if you have higher aspirations for Coney Island, then it is.

[ZippyTheChimp]

Suburban mentality.

[lofter1]

What would the cost be to put in a fast track from CI to midtown? Where will the resources to build that come from?

[ZippyTheChimp]

The "suburban mentality" overlooks the fact that NYC residents also travel to Coney Island in the summer, and avoid it in winter. In a borough of 2.5 million people, you really don't have to worry about attracting out-of-town visitors. That would follow as naturally as it does at other places.

[MidtownGuy]

I haven't yet been to Coney this season...does anyone know if they have replaced more of the wooden boardwalk with the ugly cement?

[ZippyTheChimp]

We usually go for the first time when the SI Yankees and Brooklyn Cyclones play home-and-home games. Will check it out.

Friend of mine is arranging a luxury box at Staten Island. A/C, with cushy seats outside. Not as big a deal as it sounds. Total price $550, and it holds 20 people.

If you like baseball, but don't want to hassle with the expense and difficulty of MLB tickets, spend a sunny day at Coney Island, and go to a Cyclones game. They start at either 5 or 7PM; tickets are $8.

It's A-Ball, but you get to see kids try and become big league players.

[MidtownGuy]

Thanks. Sounds great. I fully intend to make it out there more this year. Until August, that is, when I'm getting out of here to escape the humidity until September.

I have a better camera now, so the Mermaid Parade next Saturday is another thing on my list.

[futurecity]

My point was that people like to live by the sea and it isn't just a beach thing. The sea is special, especially in a major city. Even if the beach is frozen solid, a properly developed all-seasons sea front destination would attract more tourists and higher income residents if transportation to manhattan wasn't such an issue and there were things to do. Winter is only one part of the year. You have 3 other seasons for potential residents to enjoy the water, even if they don't use the beach. The key is to develop indoor/outdoor retail pavilions with sea views and a cozy town center, together with attractions/amuseuments that it is famous for. You also need to demolish the ugly high rise blocks which are eye sores and ruin the potential of the area. Lower rise public housing could be built instead, together with space for high rise market rate development.

Great cities are generally pretty gentrified places. Who on earth wants to keep NYC rough and gritty? London is far more gentrified and nobody is complaining about it. You can keep different income levels without allowing places to look disgusting. Look at how London can mix various races and income levels while keeping a good aesthetic standard.

This is a too valuable piece of land to be wasted IMO. Sadly, it seems that it will remain a weekend destination for summer. If this were Europe or Asia, the primary ocean front area would never be allowed to rot away like it has here. Sadly, NYC seems to have very few grand ideas coming out of city hall.

[ZippyTheChimp]

^
Futurecity, you're point was transportation. I have no way of knowing you meant something completely different. I can only go by what you write.

[Ninjahedge]

I think you guys are shooting back and forth over the wrong target.

The place may be a dump because of lack of speedy transit into NYC, but it may also be because of its roots and lack of a real friendly residential area.

The place attracts MANY people during the peak season on a good day, but what makes it drab on any out-of-season day? It is not one thing alone, as has been pointed out, but it is also not immune to things like poor transportation, as others have pointed out.

So the end question for all of this is simple. How can it be improved? What would be desirable and how would it be achieved (realistically).

[futurecity]

Just tear down the ugly housing projects and either relocate or rebuild them into a town center (i.e, main street USA) format which, together with market rate development should help reduce crime and build a real community.

Next would be to plan for a way to get people into Manhattan quickly. I.e, building a new rapid transit rail line to outer brooklyn as part of a regional suburban-urban rapid transit network that would bridge the gap between the slower subway and the infrequent suburban rail. I don't know how that would work, but I doubt it will happen. However, without such transit innovation, Coney Island will always be rather undesirable as a place to live and will remain low-income.

[ZippyTheChimp]

It won't happen because it's a waste of money.

Of all the transit proposals for the region, show me where a high speed rail link from CI to Manhattan is high on anyone's list

If you want to make CI high income, tell us where you want us to put the people that get pushed out.

[futurecity]

I think mixed income is what I said. Housing projects are an ugly blight and should be demolished in favor of more mixed income developments that foster a sense of community.

Much of Brooklyn and Queens could do with fast access into Manhattan, and Coney Island could be a station on a new line. I don't see how it can't be an important priority to link much of the most populous borough to the main CBD. A new rapid transit rail network should be an important priority for the future to relieve congestion and foster economic development. Manhattan is too crowded, and a new RER type line would help grow new nodes of development around the city such as CI, parts of outer queens, etc to encourage a more even distribution of wealth and population. Manhattan is fast running out of space for growth and NIMBYS will not like ever taller buildings as we have seen. Do you want those people heading to Brooklyn, Queens, or NJ when they look for decent priced housing with good access to jobs?

[ZippyTheChimp]

I could make the improved-transit argument for many places in NYC, and they would have a greater impact. Just because building something is an improvement over nothing doesn't mean it's the right decision. These decisions aren't made in a vacuum; building somewhere means it's denied somewhere else.

We have no rail link to either airport.
No subway to College Point.
No subway to Bayside
No subway to Whitesone
No subway to Marine Park.

CI has four subways, and that's where you want to build another rail link. Fine. Find a study that agrees with you that transportation is a priority for CI development. It can't be that you're the first person to think of this, right?

[Ninjahedge]

The only thing that might work would be to re-examine the rail lines during summer and see how plausable putting an "express line" or two in the schedule would be.

Since I think these are only 2-rail subway lines, having one of the routes an "express" is probably not plausible, especially during rush....


And Zip, I agree that you just do not tear down projects. The only solution for that is redevelopment where you still have enough for the displaced, but you do not concentrate them all in one area like it was a Lepur colony or something. For some reason, they still have this mentality of putting the poor in compounds. While this may appeal to the more affluent (who, ironically, have actually started to DISPLACE the poor in the very same developments that were beneath their standard 20-30 years ago), it is not practical, with the some of the problems being the difficulty to have easily available inexpensive labor (you keep raising rents and your Shoe Sniffer will have to commute 2 hours each way in order to earn $7.45 an hour....).


Anyway, I am getting OT. Coney Island might be best served with a dedicated express bus line rather than a rail. Rail is best used for daily regulars, not seasonal pleasure seekers.

[ZippyTheChimp]

Since I think these are only 2-rail subway lines, having one of the routes an "express" is probably not plausible, especially during rush....Look at a subway map. Four distinct lines.


The only solution for that is redevelopment where you still have enough for the displaced, but you do not concentrate them all in one area like it was a Lepur colony or something.There's plenty of land available in CI for development.

The issue here is whether transportation is a problem. I don't see how anyone can make that argument. They had no trouble building the 800 apartment Oceana complex 9 years ago. The various plans for CI stalled because the developers wanted to build housing in the "entertainment district." That's why Steeplechase was demolished, and that's why Joe Sitt has been at odds with the city.

And if you accept futurecity's argument that Manhattan is too crowded, why advocate making it easier for more people to go there. The logical alternative is expanding a CBD in Brooklyn.

The problems of CI have been clearly outlined in this thread. It's not a year-round destination. No matter how fast you get there, there's not much to do during winter.

[Ninjahedge]

Look at a subway map. Four distinct lines.

Lines =/ RAILS.


There's plenty of land available in CI for development.

The issue here is whether transportation is a problem. I don't see how anyone can make that argument. They had no trouble building the 800 apartment Oceana complex 9 years ago. The various plans for CI stalled because the developers wanted to build housing in the "entertainment district." That's why Steeplechase was demolished, and that's why Joe Sitt has been at odds with the city.

I do not see the 1 to 1 correlation here

I am not disagreeing with your argument of transportation, but at the same time it is not a convenient commute, no matter how many developers have been looking.

There are worse ones, but this takes a bit to get to.


And if you accept futurecity's argument that Manhattan is too crowded, why advocate making it easier for more people to go there. The logical alternative is expanding a CBD in Brooklyn.

You are really losing me here. I never said Manhattan was "too crowded", you are mixing lines of thought.


The problems of CI have been clearly outlined in this thread. It's not a year-round destination. No matter how fast you get there, there's not much to do during winter.

I know, and if you read what I said, especially about rail lines being more for "daily use" and bus lines for "day trippers", you might see that I am not disagreeing with much of what you have already said.

FS has a way of going off the deep end when it comes to practical assesment and mitigation of anything he sees as a puzzle. I was only trying to bring it back center a bit Zipster.

[ZippyTheChimp]

Lines =/ RAILS.What are you talking about?



I do not see the 1 to 1 correlation here

I am not disagreeing with your argument of transportation, but at the same time it is not a convenient commute, no matter how many developers have been looking.There are many places that have worse travel time. Many are multi-modal. The average commute time for NYC workers is about 40 minutes.

The reason there has been little real estate development is that the city wouldn't (correctly in my opinion) rezone the entertainment area. If they did, all that land would now be apartment buildings. Fred Trump built the 7 building Trump Village in 1964. They are not public housing projects. Two buildings are rental, the others are co-op. Middle income and successful. Trump tried to do the same thing at Steeplechase Pier, but couldn't get the land rezoned.

He built there because transportation was convenient.

[citykid]

Hey Guys

I rarely comment on these threads, and I made a username just to comment on this one (I forgot my old one)..

Anyhow while I usually agree with you Zippy, I think you are misunderstanding Ninjahedge's argument a bit. I also think you may be oversimplifying the choice here.

From my perspective, New York wants Coney Island to be a major destination within the 5 boroughs and beyond. Simply put, it has been the Bloomberg administration's position that Coney Island should attract people from all over the region on a year-round basis. But the Bloomberg administration has not connected this vision with sufficient transportation options.

You are correct, there are four rail lines to Coney Island, but none of them offer express service. Even from Downtown Brooklyn, it could take over an hour to get to Coney Island.. yet alone coming from Midtown. What's more damming however, is that the tracks to offer express service exist on at least three of the four Coney Island lines. The Brighton Line could offer express service to CI, but that train terminates in Brighton Beach. The Sea Beach line's express tracks simply aren't used at all and the Culver's lines aren't used either (although the F express might change this someday). If you could offer a one-seat ride from Midtown to Coney Island that would take under 40 minutes it would be a much more viable destination for a great deal of folks in NYC. As of now, going there is an all day excursion....

I don't think new infrastructure is needed, just new service patterns. Otherwise the city is wasting money in the revitalization of the area, as the service patterns to sustain that investment aren't there. Coney Island is a very popular destination, but from my experience a vast majority of the people who go either drive there, or originate from Brooklyn. If subway service or ferry service could be utilized correctly, the area would be much more accessible.

Lastly, residential areas and entertainment areas have a different set of transportation needs. Its perfectly reasonable to live in places like Mill Basin and Staten Island that don't have robust transportation access because a) You can own a car (many people in these areas do) and b) you don't make back to back round trips. Many people who visit parts of the city for entertainment, aren't looking to spend the whole day in the area, rather just to pop in for an hour or two. The current set of transportation options put Coney Island out of reach for that demographic of people, it just seems like too big a time commitment. Providing express subway or ferry service could change that dramatically

[ZippyTheChimp]

From my perspective, New York wants Coney Island to be a major destination within the 5 boroughs and beyond. Simply put, it has been the Bloomberg administration's position that Coney Island should attract people from all over the region on a year-round basis. But the Bloomberg administration has not connected this vision with sufficient transportation options.It really doesn't matter where you attract people from. There's no problem during the summer.


Even from Downtown Brooklyn, it could take over an hour to get to Coney IslandNot true. I live in Manhattan, and get to CI in 45 minutes. It's about 30 minutes from Downtown Brooklyn.


Otherwise the city is wasting money in the revitalization of the area, as the service patterns to sustain that investment aren't there. Coney Island is a very popular destination, but from my experience a vast majority of the people who go either drive there, or originate from Brooklyn.I don't know where they originate from, but the vast majority of visitors get to CI by subway.


Many people who visit parts of the city for entertainment, aren't looking to spend the whole day in the area, rather just to pop in for an hour or two.CI isn't an appropriate destination for visitors who want to "see" the city on hour-log stops. That's the fake NYC tour (http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4463&p=365826&viewfull=1#post365826) stache was talking about.

[Ninjahedge]

CK, thanks for the info on the express tracks. I was unsure which lines had a second set of rails that would make that available and practical.

[citykid]

1) If you wan't a major, year-round destination it defiantly matters where you are attracting people from. Obviously its not just about how many people are there, but who is there and where they are coming from, this information is important not only for the city, but for prospective developers as well.

2) True. On a weekend with no express service, it can take more than an hour to get there. If you take the N train from Downtown Brooklyn MAYBE you can get there in 35 minutes. But I live in Brooklyn (I have all my life)... It's taken me 40 minutes and more to get to Coney Island from where I live. The trains going there are just slow. Express service would dramatically speed up travel times.

3) There are many people who drive to Coney Island, just look at the parking lot next to the aquarium sometime. But moreover, my point was that a great deal of those visitors come from Brooklyn (via subway) as the area is often inaccessible for people from other boroughs.

4) My point was actually geared more towards locals. I'm 21 years old, my friends and I like to hop around town... i.e. go here, then go there. You are right, Coney Island isn't appropriate for that type of destination, but my argument is that faster transit could make it so. Coney Island could have an excellent night life, restaurants, bars and clubs. It could be a place to go hang out. For three years my friends and I have wanted to drop in on the Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest, or the Mermaid Parade, but the travel times were too high for the collective group to make it work.

Ultimately, I think my point is very simple. For relatively little cost you can dramatically decrease travel times to Coney Island. I don't see how that can have anything but a dramatically positive impact.

[ZippyTheChimp]

1. Why does it matter where they come from? Just saying it's important doesn't make it so. That's only important if the city in question is having difficulty attracting any visitors.
Many people visit NYC, and they spend their money somewhere. If you want to make CI a specific destination for travelers, then you put in lots of hotels and turn the place into a resort.

2. Look at the schedules. I was born, grew up, and raised a family in Brooklyn. I know the borough very well. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with speeding up schedules, but that's not why CI isn't developed.

3. "Many" is not "the vast majority." The existence of parking lots really doesn't prove anything; there are parking lots and garages in Manhattan, and many people drive instead of taking mass transit. No matter what you do with schedules, CI is going to be a long trip from Queens, Upper Manhattan, and the Bronx. It's a big city. If you live in the Bronx, going to a Yankee game is a quick trip. From Brooklyn it's a long ride. So what?

4. When I say that CI isn't appropriate for a stop-and-go visit, I don't mean only that the conditions today make it so. I mean it should be geared for a longer stay.

As for your simple point, I don't disagree with it. I never implied that better transportation would not have an effect (that works anywhere); only that transportation is not at the core of why CI isn't developed.

No developer with a plan for CI has ever asked the city to improve transit as a condition for development, except maybe the upgrade of the hub station. The fight has always been over how much residential development would be allowed. It's a bigger ROI. If the city had released the entertainment zone to residential development, the boardwalk would have been lined with condos long ago.

[Ninjahedge]

What about the land in from that?

The question is not whether people would want sea-side condos, but how to develop the whole area......

Is it still ROI for those portions as well? What is keeping ALL of the CI area from being developed? (maybe, ironically, it is people not wanting to live that close to an amusement park?)

[ZippyTheChimp]

The rest of the area gets developed when there is a stable commercial base. That's what is intended in the entertainment zone. If you look at the area centered around Cropsey and Neptune Aves. no one is going to be the first to commit money in a sea of car repair shops unless there is overall economic improvement.

That would have happened if all those condos were built on Surf Ave. Mermaid Ave would have become a more developed commercial street to support them, and development would have spread north to Neptune. It's a sound economic model, but it changes CI into anyplace.

[MidtownGuy]

Last weekend I went to Coney Island. From midtown it took FOREVER. Not even as tolerable as an hour...the train crawled half of the way and it took even longer. Maybe an hour and a half!

It's sweltering hot in Manhattan in the summer. Midtown especially. I would like to get in some water as a resident of a city completely surrounded by it, and yet I can not do that in less than an hour. I think there is something wrong with that. There should be an express service. Or build the giant pools in the East River already.

[ZippyTheChimp]

You went during the Mermaid Parade? Do you appreciate how out of the ordinary that is?

[lofter1]

Last weekend I went to Coney Island. From midtown it took FOREVER. Not even as tolerable as an hour...the train crawled half of the way and it took even longer. Maybe an hour and a half!

It's sweltering hot in Manhattan in the summer. Midtown especially. I would like to get in some water as a resident of a city completely surrounded by it, and yet I can not do that in less than an hour. I think there is something wrong with that. There should be an express service. Or build the giant pools in the East River already.

Be glad you live in such a bustling city as NYC and stop complaining. Or move :cool:

[MidtownGuy]

lofter, the difference is that I'm asking for express service to the beach...not for authorities to go around clearing the sidewalks of vendors in the middle of one of the city's main shopping drags.

[MidtownGuy]

You went during the Mermaid Parade? Do you appreciate how out of the ordinary that is?
I do realize that there were more people going there for the parade...but the wide sandy beach itself looked less crowded than it is on many hot summer days in July and August.

If the increasingly more humid and miserable summers, combined with an expansion of amusements and other attractions, are going to routinely cause more people to seek the seashore (on parade days or not) then perhaps we should make it easier and faster for those hundreds of thousands of residents trying to get there. Is a seasonal express service impossible on the tracks/rails/metal thingies that exist already?

[MidtownGuy]

"I posted my question to the CIDC about Coney Island Express train and received the following answer:

In planning for future development, we will be considering a variety of alternative transportation options, including possible ferry service and improved mass transit. CIDC and the City intend to work with the New York City Transit Authority and the MTA to explore all possible options for future express service, including the Culver, Sea Beach, and Brighton lines."

found that post on a message board discussing this. so maybe there will be something.

[lofter1]

lofter, the difference is that I'm asking for express service to the beach...not for authorities to go around clearing the sidewalks of vendors in the middle of one of the city's main shopping drags.

Who said anything about clearing the sidewalks?

Oh, that would be yourself.

[MidtownGuy]

There are three options. More, less, or the same.

Going by your comments, I think it was clear you didn't want more vendors. Your sarcasm about what is sold there now made it seem like you also scorn the current situation.

The only thing left is less vendors. Deduction. But OK... you are fine with the vendors in their current numbers and do not want them cleared out. Great!

[lofter1]

What we have now -- although down in numbers from what was filling the sidewalks a year or so ago -- still isn't really manageable on busy days. Like whenever it's sunny out. One new-ish store on my block boasts that they have 20,000 shoppers in and out of their doors on any given Saturday. Bunch up those shoppers with sidewalk browsers and you get gridlock.

Sarcasm about tables filled with cheap sunglasses and assorted dollar store stuff? I wasn't being sarcastic. No doubt the vendors plying this stuff are doing well, or they'd move on. But their success isn't the entire issue.

[antinimby]

What we have now -- although down in numbers from what was filling the sidewalks a year or so ago -- still isn't really manageable on busy days. Like whenever it's sunny out. One new-ish store on my block boasts that they have 20,000 shoppers in and out of their doors on any given Saturday. Bunch up those shoppers with sidewalk browsers and you get gridlock. Sarcasm about tables filled with cheap sunglasses and assorted dollar store stuff? I wasn't being sarcastic. No doubt the vendors plying this stuff are doing well, or they'd move on. But their success isn't the entire issue.This coming from a guy that previously gave this bit of advice:


Be glad you live in such a bustling city as NYC and stop complaining. Or move


:rolleyes:

[lofter1]

That comment was a direct quote posted by MG (http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4463&p=366312&viewfull=1#post366312) in another thread right before I posted that here.

You had to be there. :cool:

[Ninjahedge]

I was.... :confused:



No, seriously: I Is :confused:

[MidtownGuy]

That comment was a direct quote posted by MG (http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4463&p=366312&viewfull=1#post366312) in another thread right before I posted that here.

You had to be there. :cool:

a DIRECT quote? YEAH RIGHT. you substituted some words, no? I referred to your neighborhood, SoHo.

And if somebody else was saying they didn't like their neighborhood because of whatever reason...that it was too noisy, or the sidewalks were too crowded, or the trains weren't close enough, or the buildings too tall...or whatever else about that neighborhood ...yes, I would say changing neighborhoods is one option.

[lofter1]

But not the only option.

[MidtownGuy]

so then... rock on with your bad self :cool:.

[Ninjahedge]

I prefer his Good self.....