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Early Addition
The NY Sun looks at the $1.5 billion Coney Island plan Thor Equities is looking to bring to Brooklyn. Thor, which has bought 10 acres of Coney Island and has already told some tenants to go and others that they'll be able to stay another summer, is looking to remake the stretch into a "into a year-round destination, and [give] it the feel of Las Vegas, Orlando, or Atlantic City.":
New designs drawn up by the architectural firm Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn depict Thor's futuristic vision. A new roller coaster would dart in and out of new buildings along Stillwell Avenue, the first roller coaster in New York City since the Cyclone opened in 1927, according to the developer. Opposite the subway station, Thor is planning a vertical ride to the top of a 150-foot-high water tower that would be decorated with flickering holograms of whales and mermaids.BUT: Thor would rather concentrate on residential development because the amusements are more seasonal. Which means that the city would have to rezone Coney Island for residential use - and that could be another big Brooklyn development debate.Where Stillwell Avenue meets the boardwalk, the developer wants to build a giant indoor water park and a three-story, glass-enclosed carousel. All the rides would be winterized. They would also be integrated with a movie theater, arcades, retail stores, and with existing attractions, like the Cyclone, the Wonder Wheel, and the Parachute Drop. Thor Equities would lease out the rides or find an operating partner to run the amusements.
The most amusing part of the article is a quote from Coney Island USA founder Richard Zigun, who doesn't want condos but would be okay with hotels but ultimately wants Coney Island to shine again: "I'm not one of the people who says no-go on Vegas. You can build Brooklyn's Times Square at the beach. Before you know it, you will be able to have a Starbucks latte at the beach, and hopefully a giant roller coaster you can throw up on."
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Forget the roller coasters--those renderings are enough to make me puke up my latte. Add to that the thought of Brooklyn being like Orlando and I'll lose my whole lunch.
I agree with Zigun: no residential.
There are plenty of places for that that are not in a flood plane. And the housing bubble is ending, while retail space and hotel rooms remain in short supply.
Nightclubs, which no other part of the city wants, could be year round. So could hotels, if lower off-season prices drew Manhattan visitors despite the long subway ride. After all, lots of Brooklynites have that long ride, which is much more tolerable for a few days than for a few decades.
Rather than push residential zoning into the C7, I'd extend commercial zoning into the mixed-use district to the north.
It's horrible, it really looks like Universal City Walk!
I think it is a great project and hopefully it will come through. Development is always good, especially in the neighborhood that has been forgotten for 50 years. People who oppose the development in any way usually have outdated look about whats going on around them.
Okay, am I being to pissy in pointing out that the roller coaster used in the conceptual artwork above is by a manufacturer that no longer exists.
So what is this coaster really going to look like? Will it be built by (excitingly enough) B&M, Intamin or, maybe, Vekoma, or will it be a piece of shit Togo like the Manhattan Express coaster in Vegas?
I'm also very against condos and, again, think that who is going to be designing and building these rides is a very important question that should be asked.
A new roller coaster would dart in and out of new buildings along Stillwell Avenue, the first roller coaster in New York City since the Cyclone opened in 1927, according to the developer.
Thor Equities certainly does have a keen grasp on the history of the area.
Jen his name is DICK Zigun. He is a New York legend who you guys never seem to talk about or cover any of his organization Coney Island USA's programming. Do your homework hipster girl.