I for one appreciate your keeping me up to date on Coney Island. I
use to live in Sea Gate, before moving to New Jersey. I gre up down
there. My first daughter was born there as well.
Thanks for keeping me up to date.
Kevin B
--- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, "dfsavgny" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> I keep posting about CI because I see many parallels between it and
> AP, although AP was never as big or famous an amusement area. The
> excerpt below deals with "condos in the core" issue. For what it is
> worth.
>
> Monday, April 02, 2007
> Dick Zigun Speaks at Length About Coney Island Redevelopment
> Dick Zigun, the head of Coney Island USA and a member of the Coney
> Island Development Corp. board has posted a very long and
thoughtful
> statement on the Coney Island Message Board laying out his position
> on redevelopment of Coney Island. In it, he says that he supports
> redevelopment of Coney Island (as does virtually everyone--the
> controversy is about the details) as "Coney Island as it currently
> stands is 'broken.'" Mr. Zigun, who has been called the
> unofficial "Mayor of Coney Island" and whose group received city
> funding to buy the building in which it is housed, writes in the
> message posted on the Coney Island Message Board:
> I too love the seedy charm but I do not wish to maintain the empty
> lots and furniture stores. Throughout Coney Island's history it has
> been "the world's playground"
it has been the amusement park of
> large, loud, urban New York City. The current Coney Island is
> neither. It wants to be bigger and it needs major new attractions.
>
> The city's intentions are good. Mayor Bloomberg and Brooklyn
Borough
> President Markowitz and City Councilman Reccia combine into a
> trifecta of elected officials more pro-Coney Island, more pro-
> amusement park then any other NYC administration since the 1920's
> (pre-Robert Moses).
> Of Thor Equities he writes:
> Joe Sitt, founder and owner of Thor is a successful capitalist and
is
> good at his job. Thor has assembled enough property within Coney to
> create a development package with enough impact to transform the
> neighborhood and attract investors, that is Joe Sitt's job. Many of
> you fear Thor, but if you think Coney Island is "broken", like me,
> then you have to think future, not past, and try and work with and
> influence Joe Sitt.
>
> Joe is not such a bad guy
but he has never developed an amusement
> park and he is a little "out of his league" IMO. Joe Sitt began his
> career as founder of the Ashley Stuart chain of woman's clothing
> stores marketing to women of color in inner city neighborhoods.
Most
> of his employees were African-American women and his stores were
> welcome for providing quality service to an underserved audience.
As
> a developer he is known for not being afraid of the urban market
and
> he has pioneered expensive development in risky neighborhoods. So
> far, so good for Joe Sitt. However, he is not an amusement park
guy.
> Not yet.
>
> The rides Thor has suggested for Coney Island are indeed good
rides:
> steel looping rollercoasters and double decker carousel, etc. We
need
> these rides and we want these rides but there need to be EVEN MORE
> rides in his plan. Hotels and time shares will bring tourists who
> will party and spend money for a week and then leave making room
for
> more tourists.
>
> Condo residents will complain about noise and late hours and
parking
> and schools. The residents of Luna Park apartments already complain
> about the amusements. The CIDC in its wisdom has already voted that
> condos belong but belong on the outer edges. Trust that when and if
> CIDC votes, I will always vote against condos within the core, but
I
> am just one vote out of thirteen. Aside from voting against condos,
> if Thor does go ahead and builds whatever it builds, I will remain
on
> the CIDC and sit down with Joe Sitt to advocate for quality rides,
> innovative architecture, and historic preservation.
> We suggest a complete read of Mr. Zigun's statement to anyone with
an
> interest in Coney Island redevelopment.
>
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