New Coney Island Coming To Brooklyn After $100 Million Land Deal

NEW YORK — The historic and mostly dormant Coney Island amusement park district in New York City will be revived by next summer with some new attractions, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and developer Joseph Sitt said Thursday.

The city purchased 6.9 acres at the heart of Coney Island from Sitt's Thor Equities for $95.6 million after years of tense negotiations, the pair announced at a City Hall news conference.

The city plans to create a year-round destination that includes a 12 1/2-acre outdoor amusement park within a 27-acre amusement and entertainment district.

The project also includes new restaurants, movie theaters, retail and the city's first new roller coaster since the Cyclone was built in 1927. The plan also includes nearly 5,000 units of housing, including 900 units for low- and moderate-income families, officials said.

The project was expected to create more than 25,000 construction jobs and 6,000 permanent jobs, city officials said.

"When tourists come to New York we want Coney Island to be on their must-do list right next to Times Square and the Empire State Building," Bloomberg said. "We're trying to find things in all five boroughs to make sure the economic development that tourism brings is shared by everybody."

Bloomberg said the cost of not buying the land was too steep and that leaving the tract empty for another decade would have amounted to lost jobs, tax revenues and housing.

All existing Coney Island businesses will remain through at least next summer, Seth W. Pinsky, president of the city's Economic Development Corp., said. After that, city officials will assess whether the businesses fit into the new project.

During its decline, the amusement district has shrunk to just three acres, the city said. Attractions were cleared to make way for a resort that Sitt had envisioned, but his plan never materialized.

The city will begin soliciting proposals on Friday from potential developers and operators for a "first-phase" on the portion of the cite scheduled to open in summer 2010.

Later, the city will solicit proposals to find a permanent developer for the amusement park. The city also plans to spend $150 million on infrastructure and rebuilding sections of the Boardwalk and a new Steeplechase Plaza, officials said.

Comments

[FreedomMcJustis]

Coney Island unfortunately must change. I would love it if it would stay exactly how it is. I enjoy the grit and grime. It has character. Unfortunately, those of us who feel this way are vastly outnumbered. Most of the rest of the country and world won't go there as it is, and NYC will do what it must to make sure tourist dollars continue to flow. NYC can potentially make a lot of money from this, which hopefully will be good for everybody. It sucks that a lot of longtime businesses will be booted, but it's inevitable. Nathan's will remain. The Cyclone and the Wonder Wheel are historic landmarks, so they'll remain. Putting the Steeplechase back together is a great idea. So there are some positives. This thing is going to happen, so I'll just keep my fingers crossed that the new Coney Island will at the very least have something or everybody.

[Jeffreygeez]

It will be another Times Square, with no charm or personality.The enfranchisement and cloning of the USA continues, even in NYC.

[PepperzMom]

Better not touch Nathan's!

[aznurse]

I remember the wax museum with a barker loud speaker outside that would say over and over
"Come see Lena Molina, the worlds youngest mother, had a baby when she was 5 years old'!!
I was about 7 and thought what a lucky kid she was.
clueless.

[aznurse]

Is the Parachute ride still there? I know it wasn't working, but is the structure still there?
Bring back Steeplechase!!

[Rand]

Long gone!

[grahamkates]

This deal could be a boon for New York's lagging construction industry.
I wrote about it on my blog - http://blogs.journalism.cuny.edu/interactive2010/2009/11/13/will-coney-island-save-nys-construction-industry/

[grahamkates]

This deal could be a boon for New York's lagging construction industry.
I wrote about it on my blog - http://blogs.journalism.cuny.edu/interactive2010/2009/10/23/construction-spending-down-20-for-2009/.

[EminemsRevenge]

Am I the only one who remembers Rockaway Playland?

That too was razed in an effort to build up the neighbourhood, and those lots stood vacant for a couple of decades! The local economy was totally devastated, and the resultant blight spread through the Rockaways like a cancer, although it could be argued that Rockaway was on the decline BEFORE Playland was destroyed.

NOW the Rockaways are recuperating, but it's been a long hard STRUGGLE.

Sure, million dollar condos will revitalize the neighbourhood...one problem though: TAX-HAPPY Bloomberg is driving the business that will support these Yuppie havens out of NYC

[nammy50]

The scruffy charm that I love will be gone I'm sure.

[bzb]

You took the words right out of my mouth. Great post and so true.

[Rand]

If they don't save the Cyclone, the Wonder Wheel and Sideshows-­By-The-Sea­shore I think I may just cry!

[drvittoriarepetto]

I thought the Cyclone and the Wonder Wheeel were landmarked as historial?

[tiemposdepaz]

I personally will miss the old Coney Island as it reflected the toughness of the city which is loud, gritty, and exciting. I hope they are not envisioning another Time Square fiasco. I seriously find Times Square, dull, bland, and overpriced, and homogenous. I hope whatever they do, they don't clean it up so much that they miss the essence of what Brooklyn is. I wish there was a way to leave it alone, and just build around what existed. Even as a kid, I went to Disney world, Great Adventure, all of those theme parks, but I liked Coney Island best because of boisterous kids, the loud music, and the interesting items you could win. I still hold onto the items I won, because, they were useful (combs, brushes, a watch LOL). Anyway, go ahead and ruin whats left of the real New York.

[bzb]

You took the words right out of my mouth. Great post and so true.

[Garioch]

Spot on. My favorite Coney Island memory is of drinking in Ruby's when a fight started near the back. The barman ran down to phone the police and the line I remember was "What daya mean which side of the street? It's the boardwalk!".

[larry278]

NYC needs to use its LGBT homo/hetero geniuse's at once or 5 years before today, 11/14/09.