Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York Is Going To Come Back
Read more articles on Travel and Real Estate.April 22, 2008
Posted by neillevine
April 22, 2008
Posted by neillevine
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The entertainment area of Coney Island appears headed for a major overhaul according to news reports.
I have lived nearby on West 5th Street, actually West 6th, which also goes by the name Shell Road, for around forty years, give or take some stops on the way. The main drag in Coney Island is 14th Street, also known as Stillwell Avenue, so I am not that far away and there are only three avenues, Neptune Avenue, Mermaid Avenue and Surf Avenue, when you start at the dividing line of Coney Island Creek or the Belt Parkway, a major road that runs along or over the creek.
In this southward direction, Coney Island ends with the Boardwalk, which news reports say is in need of two hundred million dollars in repairs. The main subway station, along with most of the other have been redone in recent years and old time stores in the Stillwell Avenue hub were ousted and replaced with a freshly painted, amusement theme decorated storefront that is not currently being used for commercial purposes.
In the east west direction, Coney Island runs from Ocean Parkway, or possibly West 8th Street to West 37thStreet, the beginning of Sea Gate, a private, gated community of mostly one family homes that has private security controlling what enters and leaves the community.
Coney Island has been run down for a long time. Most of the buildings are older, running from some co-ops, apartment buildings, public housing, some private homes, two nursing homes and so on. In this mix, there is little in the way of shopping except for some corner groceries, a drug store or two, a supermarket, a fish and tackle store and so on.
A major developer, Joseph Sitt, through his real estate company, Thor Equities, has been buying property in the main entertainment area, with the goal of building an amusement park type mall to replace the old amusement park, empty lots and aging buildings that are there right now.
Currently, the entertainment component in Coney Island is comparatively small. You could say it starts with the New York Aquarium, extends to the roller coaster, then encompasses a bumper car ride and a skee ball emporium, a form of bowling where coupons are redeemed for dolls and the like. Then there is Nathan’s Famous, a big deli on the corner of Stillwell, Keyspan Park, the home to the Mets Class A base ball team and the Abe Stark skating rink.
A wooden carousel ride for kids was closed when the long time owner passed away. The City may restore it as it has carousel rides in Central Park and Prospect Park, but it is currently not available. There are also some fast food stores and some small groceries.
What goes in is subject to enduring the drawn out hassle of municipal approval and might include a hotel or apartment buildings.
But since the area is run down, most new construction would be an improvement, subject to the vagaries of political approval, which is not assured given the whims of so many unpredictable local elements and their various and unpredictable fancies. This blogger may post updates when they become available.
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