November 8, 2007
Hello, New Coney Island (Again)!
Another over-the-top Coney Island development proposal is in the works. Mayor Bloomberg unveiled a plan today to build the nation's biggest urban amusement park there, including 4,500 residential units (20 percent are set-asides for low- and middle-income housing) and some retail establishments. The proposal basically spells doom for Thor Equities' $1.5 million Vegas-style entertainment complex that can only get built if the city provides zoning for it.
Don't worry, the Cyclone isn't going anywhere. Neither is the Wonder Wheel. They'll just be joined by new attractions like a 262-foot high Parachute Jump and a skating rink. The Mayor said, "When you combine that with the aquarium and with KeySpan Park, we will have 50 contiguous acres of public park with the best in recreation that Brooklyn or New York has to offer."
The city is rezoning 47 acres from W. 24th St. to the aquarium, and there are new names, like Coney North, Coney East and Coney West. Fifteen of those acres, according to the NY Post, is owned by Thor CEO Joe Sitt. Before developing the amusement park, the city would have to acquire Sitt's land and other privately-owned parcels (Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff said, "Sitt will be afforded the opportunity to swap his land for another parcel, or for cash, at a premium"). There are apparently hotels, performance venues, restaurants and a movie theater in the works for land directly above the new park near Surf Ave.
The Mayor said the public review process would hopefully begin next year, emphasized how the city has already committed $100 million to revitalizing Coney Island and how the city would follow through on revitalizing Coney Island. At least Astroland will be open one more season. Here's a glimpse of the last days of Coney Island, if you're already feeling the nostalgia.
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That is going to be a HUGE roller coaster.
Fucking Wack.
The place already has hoardes of people milling around during the season. The beauty in it is it wasn't too expensive to do so.
Fuck that.
sloppy design. that rollercoster will never happen. it doesn't even look like it physically makes sense. MAGICAL FLOATING TRACKS IN THE SKY!
The old Coney Island had the charm because of a lack of corporate mandated fun and a general disheveled feeling.
This is why I hate Di$ney World/Land, Great Adventure, etc. - all corporate homogenized soulless crap without any grit, grime or real life to it. Whatever gets put up in the place of the real Coney Island will be as fake as a Coney Island themed Las Vegas hotel/casino would be. I should also add corporate homogenized soulless things tend to not be really fun.
hey pik, you moron, it called a rendering.
if you build it, they will come.
if Coney Island looked like that mayeb it would have more return visitors. Everyone I know has been just once because they wanted to see the shabbiness but we all decided it wasn't worth another look.
Let's face it. The appeal of freak shows doesn't last more than a minute.
Two things.
1. Leave Nathan's as is. Don't change a thing.
2. Don't make me pay admission to a whole park just to ride the Cyclone. It's one of the best deals in town.
#7 you must be one of those new transplants that us REAL NEW YORKERS can't stomach. Go back to your homogenized life. The freak show is a Coney Island tradition, an art form resurrected by Coney Island USA for the last 23 years. It's called history and plenty of us love the freak show and see it over and over again. Thank god that some traditions live on in this city.
I realize and accept that this rebuilding is inevitable, I just... really hope they don't overdo it. And I know they're going to, judging by this horrible picture of what they call an "amusement park."
@MT
If you're not facinated by the freak show what are you doing in NYC?
Hey, guys just give it up. It's gonna get "developed" no matter what we do. Yes, preserve the sideshow freaks, Ruby's, the Wonder wheel, the flavor. Damn I miss the real Steeplechase, Shatskin's Knishes, Murray Zarrett's Animal Nursery, etc. Was there in the early days and actually was at steeplechase. Never got a chance to do the actual steeplechase & para-jump though.
Let the BS developers do their shyte, get it over with. Then the true Coney Islanders can continue to push ahead.
Geo. C. Tilyou (one of my heroes, note the avatar), where are you when we need you?
Dadoc
@yakatori: i know what a rendering is, thank you. and if i handed that in to any of my professors during my college years... well i wouldn't have a degree. now, see how i did that without call you a moron?
I dont want Coney Island revitalized. I like the ghetto feeling of how it is now. If they disneyfy it , I will be mad.