NEW YORK | Coney Island Redevelopment

[RLS_rls]

Coney 2012

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by liat91

Nice to see construction activity moving along at least.
It's still a pain in the Pitons though, to figure out
what being built is staying, what is going, what will
replace the temporary structures and the time line for
it all.

There is a lot happening. What the City is trying to do is save an amusement district while simultaneously revitalizing Coney Island as well, with new, market rate housing (as opposed to how the City previously developed housing there). Also, the goal is to turn the amusement district into a year long attraction - using the planned indoor amusements as a way to "winterize" the area. The reason it is difficult to pinpoint a "date" for completion is because it is not a single project. There are various people and developments involved. The only visible aspect of the long term goal (meaning permanent feature) is the ongoing construction of Steeplechase Plaza by the City itself, seen on the previous page.

[NYguy]

squirrel83

[liat91]

Originally Posted by NYguy

squirrel83

Thanks NYguy. At least one permanent feature besides plastic(board walks) are near term realities. Could you provide a list (and map if possible) of what temporary structures are going up and when, and super-impose what permanent structures are going up, and when, and what temporary structures they will be replacing. I know you know NYguy, gotta give it up. lol

I'm in the burbs, so your my lifeline to da Brooklyn'.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by liat91

Could you provide a list (and map if possible) of what temporary structures are going up and when, and super-impose what permanent structures are going up,
and when, and what temporary structures they will be replacing. I know you know NYguy, gotta give it up. lol

I haven't done anything like that yet, but here you can get a basic idea of where things are now compared to the map of the redevelopment plan. (Luna Park is in danger!)

Steeplechase Plaza is on the western end of the amusement zone, so perhaps rebuilding will move from that end. The four Surf Avenue sites in purple are to be hotels as high as 30 stories.
The sites of the two on the right have been cleared by Thor Equities. A temporary building has gone up on the site of the Stillwell Avenue hotel, directly accross from the subway terminal.
A lot of people are upset because its the first thing you see when coming out of the terminal. We'll see what he makes of it in the coming months.


I marked where existing sites are on the map...






You can also see in the Steeplechase Plaza renderings the transition to boardwalk level.
The carousel pavilion will be a prominent feature of the boardwalk for years to come.






















Meanwhile, more prep is underway for the season...

Brooklyn Hilary

[liat91]

I know's it. Thanks for that. I get the
idea of what's coming now. I guess those
orange colored buildings with green courtyards
are condo towers. And I think your right, a
casino has no business at Coney. Put the
casino in Flushing.

[NYguy]

http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/brookl...zoRVEpxs4Nc94N

Last ride for famous Coney bumper cars

March 25, 2012
By RICH CALDER

A beloved Disco bumper-car ride in Coney Island that frequently attracted A-listers like Liza Minnelli is facing its final spin.

The longtime owners of Eldorado Auto Skooters and Arcade have sold the single-story Surf Avenue building that houses the legendary ride to local developer Joe Sitt, who plans to raze the site as part of a larger project to bring hotels and new retail to the seaside district.

But although the three-decade old attraction - best known for its blasting Disco beats and club-style lighting - was sold earlier this month, negotiations are ongoing to keep it open this summer for a final season.

The Fitlins moved to Austin, Texas and turned the business over to their son - celebrity DJ Scott "Scotty J" Fitlin - 15 years ago. He kept the business popular -- even in a post-Disco era -- but died in 2010.

Both Gordon Lee, who took over running the arcade's 36 "Bump Your Ass Off" bumper cars for the Fitlins, and Sitt's company Thor Equities confirmed they are negotiating the possibility of a short-term lease to keep the bumper cars open for at least this summer to give loyal fans a chance at a final ride.

Sitt, who sold most of his Coney Island beachfront land in 2009 to pave way for Luna Park, is waiting on the city to make major infrastructiure upgrades before developing his remaing property, but that could take years.

[NYguy]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/b...ZHXqvf906SvfiM

New Coney entrance just beachy



By RICH CALDER
March 27, 2012

Straphangers heading out to Coney Island will be getting a spectacular new entrance to its fabled boardwalk. City officials yesterday unveiled an $11 million plan for a new gateway to the beach that includes razing the decaying, six-decade-old West Eighth Street bridge over Surf Avenue, which connects the subway to the beachfront.

In its place, a vacant nearby lot on West 10th Street near the landmark Cyclone rollercoaster will be transformed into a grand beachfront entrance rivaling the main amusement district entrance four blocks west on Stillwell Avenue. The new, 75-foot-wide entrance will be filled with many plantings, bike racks and seating. It will be covered in a smooth blue pavement comprised of a heat-resistant material made from recycled glass and cement.

Kyle Sklerov, a spokesman for the city’s Economic Development Corp., said the plan would create a “more welcoming experience” for visitors while “improving pedestrian access to all of Coney Island’s amusements, as well the [New York] Aquarium and the boardwalk.”

The bridge, which many community groups consider an eyesore, would have cost millions of dollars to replace and is too costly to maintain, he said.

The city expects to raze the bridge in November after this summer’s amusement season. The new entrance would then be completed by summer 2014

BrooklynLove

[NYguy]

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/0...arksappeal.php

Aqarium Re-baits Makeover Hook With Sharks-Appeal




April 2, 2012
by Dave Hogarty

The New York Aquarium is betting its $150 million renovation on the appeal of sharks with the inclusion of the marquee exhibit "Ocean Wonders: Sharks!", in which visitors will be able to walk beneath a 500,000-gallon tank where sharks will swim around them on all sides. Along with the shark exhibit, the new main building will resemble a shimmering wave—small aluminum squares will sparkle in the sunlight and move with the wind for 1,000 ft along the boardwalk.

The new design is meant to bridge the gap between the aquarium and the beach and boardwalk. Currently, the aquarium is hidden from view from the boardwalk behind a long, tall wall that is attractively decorated, but still an imposing wall. The Wildlife Conservation Society hopes to open the redesigned aquarium by 2015.

[NYguy]

http://amusingthezillion.com/2012/04...-coney-island/

BK Festival’s 1st Amusement Rides Arrive in Coney Island


First rides for BK Festival's amusement park have arrived in Coney Island. April 1, 2012. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr


April 2, 2012 by Tricia

Over the weekend, Coney Island’s amusement parks, which have a total of 60 rides including the landmark Cyclone and Wonder Wheel, celebrated opening day with fanfare. The Eldorado Bumper Cars–the 61st ride–are expected to open for one last season. Meanwhile, the first rides for the BK Festival’s new Steeplechase Amusement Park arrived and were parked on Thor Equities lot on the west side of Stillwell Avenue.

The rides are projected to open for Easter on the BK Festival’s Stillwell lot behind Nathan’s. “This is a soft opening with the grand opening coming for Memorial Day Weekend,” McCarthy said. The flea market vendors along with food stands and trailers are expected to continue on the east side of Thor’s Stillwell lots until the new Steeplechase Amusement Park’s full complement of rides and attractions debuts on Memorial Day Weekend. With the newly arrived rides, Coney’s ride count is once again going up and is likely to be over 70 by Memorial Day Weekend.

First rides for BK Festival's amusement park have arrived in Coney Island. April 1, 2012. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

[NYguy]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/b...1YYldmcosGnZJJ

City taps Zamperla to take over 'Jones Walk'

By RICH CALDER
April 19, 2012

The city is finally cleaning up a longtime seedy strip near the Coney Island boardwalk that had been filled with rigged carnival games and ripped off beachgoers for years.

The city has tapped Zamperla USA -- which already runs Luna Park and much of the amusement district -- to take over “Jones Walk” by the Bowery and bring 10 new children-themed attractions there. This includes a lazer-maze challenge where kids get to dodge around green-lazers to complete an obstacle course and another attraction in which patrons can shoot their own music video.

Upon receiving various complaints late last year, the city cleared out the old-school carnival games – including one booth called "Gangster Cigars" that was caught ripping customers off on a hidden camera by Arnold Diaz of Fox NY’s “Shame on You.”

Patrons would routinely lose hundreds of dollars trying to toss a rigged ping-pong ball through a hole to win a flat-screen TV. The city bought Jones Walk in 2009 and inherited the tenants.

[NYguy]

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/...sEnabled=false

Laser Maze, “Pop Noggins,” and other games set to open at Coney Island’s Jones Walk
Yet another chunk of Coney turned over to Italian amusement giant




By Erin Durkin
April 20, 2012

A maze made of bright green lazers and other new games are set to open along Coney Island’s Jones Walk this summer, city officials said. It represents yet another chunk of Coney Island turned over to Italian amusement giant Zamperla, which the city already gave contracts to open new amusement parks Luna Park and Scream Zone and run the Cyclone rollercoaster.

The Laser Maze Challenge features a room full of green lasers that players try to scramble under to reach the finish line. Also coming to Jones Walk will be a game called Pop Noggins, where would-be rock stars can make their own music video on a green-screen, with their heads superimposed on the bodies of professional dancers. There will be eight other games that haven’t been decided, set to open around Memorial Day.

The city wouldn’t renew the leases of the dozen or so games that had lined the walk when they expired last fall, citing seedy behavior like one ball toss game operator caught scamming customers in a TV sting.

Instead, they put out a request for proposals for a new operator and chose Zamperla. The company is also considered a favorite to take over the historic B&B Carousel when it reopens.

[NYguy]

More good news for those empty lots...


http://amusingthezillion.com/2012/05...-coney-island/

MegaWhirl Ride Prototype to Debut in Coney Island


MegaWhirl Ride in Action, Still from Promotional Video. © Gordon Rides

May 1, 2012 by Tricia

The MegaWhirl, a prototype ride described as combining the thrill of the Whip and the Tilt in a whole new way is expected to make its debut in Coney Island this season. On Monday, the first two of four trucks carrying the MegaWhirl structure arrived on Thor Equities’ Stillwell Avenue lot leased to the BK Festival promoters for their new Steeplechase Park. The new ride’s arrival is another promising sign of Coney Island’s revival. Back in the day, the first models of new park or carnival rides would make their debut here.

“This is the prototype. It’s running like a charm,” the MegaWhirl’s designer Jonathan Gordon of Gordon Rides told ATZ. Over the next few weeks, the ride will be set up, tested and inspected. “If all goes well, we’re hoping that the ride will make its debut along with the rest of the park on Memorial Day Weekend.” The prototype was built by Larson International and was set up on the factory floor at Larson’s headquarters in Plainview, Texas. Promo videos show visiting ride enthusiasts going for a test spin.

“This dizzying ride swings riders in all directions, creating the illusion of near-misses with other carriages and the edges of the ride,” according to Gordon Rides website. Unlike the Whip, the cars of the MegaWhirl spin all the way around- 360 degrees – in a random curve pattern that could be mild or intense. As a family ride, it runs at a maximum of 4 miles per hour. “We’re going to tweak it a little bit faster,” said Gordon.

[NYguy]

http://www.brooklyndaily.com/stories..._05_11_bk.html

Park Slope sandwich shop to open in People's Playground



By Daniel Bush

Call it “Coney Heights.” The Downtownification of the People’s Playground is well underway — and Brownstone Brooklyn businesses are leading the charge.

Popular Park Slope eatery Zito’s Sandwich Shoppe will open a gourmet hoagie hub on Jones Walk near Luna Park, becoming the latest in a growing list of Downtown restaurants replacing game booths and Boardwalk bars that embraced Coney Island’s honky-tonk charm for decades.

Zito’s co-owner Marcello Bucca said he decided to invest in Coney Island after Tom’s Restaurant in Prospect Heights and Grimaldi’s Pizzeria in DUMBO snapped up properties in the amusement area — which the city wants to transform into an upscale, year-round tourist destination.

“The fact that Grimaldi’s and Tom’s are making big money moves proves that it’s the beginning of a renaissance in Coney Island,” said Bucca, a Bensonhurst native. “New people are coming in. We’re banking that the area’s changing.”

[NYguy]

Photos from Coney Island Photo Diary

A skycoaster going up over the boardwalk in the latest expansion...

[NYguy]

http://amusingthezillion.com/2012/05...-coney-island/

SkyCoaster Under Construction in Coney Island

May 12, 2012 by Tricia

The Coney Island SkyCoaster will be called Boardwalk Flight, according to Luna Park’s website: “Take flight over the Atlantic Ocean at heights of over 200 feet. Not thrilling enough? Try it at over 60 mph! This Sky-Coaster will propel you mid-air giving you a sky-diving sensation.” A SkyCoaster combines elements of skydiving and hang-gliding. Riders are harnessed into “flight suits,” winched to the top of a tower and then swing through the sky as they drop towards the ground. From the time you’re strapped in to the finish, each “flight” lasts about five minutes.

spokesman from Luna Park told ATZ the price of riding the SkyCoaster depends on the number of riders–one, two or three–since up to three people can ride at a time. A solo skydive over the Boardwalk will cost you $25, but if you ride with two friends you’ll each pay $15. Manufactured by SkyCoaster Inc., the ride debuted in 1993 and can be found at over 75 parks around the world, from the Jersey Shore to Brazil and South Korea. In gated amusement parks, it’s typically an “upcharge attraction,” meaning that an additional fee is charged to riders who have already paid general admission to the park.

[NYguy]

http://amusingthezillion.com/2012/05...-steeplechase/

Coney Island’s Cha Cha Puts His Name on Steeplechase




May 17, 2012 by Tricia

The official name of the new amusement park set to open on Thor Equities Stillwell lot in Coney Island is Cha Cha’s Steeplechase – The Fun Place Amusement Park, according to an announcement yesterday by restaurant and club owner John “Cha Cha” Ciarcia. His Club Atlantis, which was evicted from the Boardwalk at the end of last season, is making a comeback on Stillwell, too.

George C. Tilyou’s “Funny Face,” variations of which are used to promote a slew of Coney Island products and businesses today, was original to his Steeplechase Park (1897-1964) and inspired New Jersey’s “Tillie.” The world-famous park was billed as “The Funny Place, Where 10,000 People Laugh at One Time.” Word on the street is that the new Steeplechase Park’s ride tickets will be emblazoned with the Coney Island Cha Cha logo. The lot was leased to the BK Festival for last summer’s flea market and this season’s combination of amusement rides, games and food, along with a smaller selection of merchandise vendors.

CONEY ISLAND MAINSTAY “CHA CHA” BACK IN A BIG WAY
NEW AMUSEMENT PARK “MEGAWHIRL” DEBUT & PRESS CONFERENCE SET FOR MAY 24TH

Long time Coney Island personality John “Cha Cha” Ciarcia , who many know from his role on The Sopranos and his co-hosting of The Wiseguys Show on Sirius Radio, is back better than ever this year, just in time for the kick-off of the summer season, with several different businesses and amusement park lots........John “Cha Cha” Ciarcia and actor friend Tony Danza will preside over the official launch ceremony/press conference on Thursday, May 24th at 12 noon to announce the official grand opening of the new Cha Cha’s Coney Island Seafood Bar & Pizzeria (at 1315 Surf Ave.), the exclusive world debut of new amusement park ride The MegaWhirl, which was just developed and is the only one of its kind in the world, Cha Cha’s Steeplechase – The Fun Place Amusement Park, Cha Cha’s Kiddie Park and Cha Cha’s Side Show Park (3 parks in total), along with Cha Cha’s outdoor Club Atlantis Bar……all located along Stillwell Ave. between Surf Ave. and the boardwalk.

[NYguy]

Work continues along the boardwalk, with Steeplechase Plaza taking shape...


Coney Island Photo Diary





































Crowds out for the Brooklyn half marathon...

[NYguy]

Everything is expected to fully open this weekend for another exciting season in the rebirth of Coney Island. There is still one sore point for locals and tourist and just anyone that loves a good boardwalk.


http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories..._05_25_bk.html

City's use of wood in Rockaway boardwalk repair angers Coney's faithful



Boardwalk war: The city is using wood to repair an aging section of the boardwalk in Rockaway — after refusing to use wood to rebuild the Coney Island Boardwalk.




Separate and unequal: Coney-Brighton Boardwalk Alliance President Rob Burstein is furious that the city is repairing the Queens boardwalk with wood, but paving over Brooklyn’s seaside walkway with concrete.


By Daniel Bush
May 23, 2012

A city decision to repair an outer-borough boardwalk with wood has opponents of the Coney Island Boardwalk’s upcoming concrete makeover accusing the Parks Department of turning back on its word. Agency officials have said repeatedly that repairing city boardwalks with wood was no longer a viable option — sparking the move to replace the iconic Coney Island Boardwalk with concrete and plastic lumber. But the city began repairing a 10-block stretch of the longer, but far less exciting, Rockaway boardwalk with lumber last week — a move that has Coney Boardwalk advocates spitting nails.

“It’s an unbelievable slap in the face to our communities,” said Rob Burstein, the president of the Coney-Brighton Boardwalk Alliance. “It shows that it’s possible to have a wooden boardwalk.” Friends of the Boardwalk founder Todd Dobrin was also outraged. “I’m furious,” said Dobrin, who has been fighting the city’s plans to take away the Boardwalk’s cherished planks. “Every boardwalk should be treated equally.”

But city officials say they’re not flip-flopping. “Under a full reconstruction of the Rockaway boardwalk, we would consider using concrete,” said Parks Department spokeswoman Meghan Lalor, who said repairs on the Rockaway boardwalk, which drew 3.6 million visitors last year, will replace planks Hurricane Irene turned into kindling last year. A one-mile section of the 5.5-mile walk has already been paved over with concrete, Lalor noted.

Councilman Eric Ulrich (R–Queens) doled out $1.6 million in taxpayer dollars to help repair the Rockaway boardwalk. That news wasn’t lost on critics who slammed Councilman Domenic Recchia (D–Coney Island) for supporting the city’s plan to replace the Boardwalk between Coney Island Avenue and Brighton 15th Street with concrete and recycled plastic lumber. “We need elected officials to support the Boardwalk here the way that they did in Queens,” Burstein said.

[NYguy]

Testing and press conference at the Scream Zone expansion

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lunapar...k Coney Island











































































http://broadwayworld.com/article/Pho...sland-20120524

BP Markowitz, Mayor Bloomberg & Tony Danza Welcome Summer at Coney Island

May 24, 2012

Long time Coney Island personality John “Cha Cha” Ciarcia and actor friend Tony Danza presided over the official launch ceremony today, May 24th to announce the opening of
Cha Cha’s Steeplechase – The Fun Place Amusement Park, Cha Cha’s Kiddie Park and Cha Cha’s Side Show Park (3 parks in total), along with Cha Cha’s outdoor Club Atlantis Bar,
all located along Stillwell Ave. between Surf Ave. and the boardwalk.

BP Markowitz, John "Cha Cha" Ciarcia, Tony Danza, Dick Zigun and Company