http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/b...nBNxwyPlE5RjBN
Coney Island to add new amusement park, with 19 new rides
By RICH CALDER
February 16, 2010
It may have been snowing today, but Mayor Bloomberg had summer on his mind.
Hizzoner gleefully unveiled 23 new Coney Island rides — including a "human sling shot" — that he said will revive the long rundown seaside area.
Bloomberg said 19 of the rides, which will be part of the new Luna Park, are set to open in May at the former Astroland site.
Luna Park, named after the once-famous Coney Island playground that closed in 1944, will offer an array of thrills from a kiddie coaster to the newly announced "Air Race" — where riders soar and barrel roll around a control tower.
And by mid-2011, four more rides will open as part of a separate amusement area called Scream Zone. The long-vacant Stillwell Avenue lot will showcase two rollercoasters, go-karts and a "human sling shot" where riders are launched a stomach-churning 200 feet in the air.
"Coney Island is coming back big time!" Bloomberg declared at the New York Aquarium while announcing a 10-year lease with Central Amusement International.
CAI — which operates Victorian Gardens in Central Park — is leasing 6.2 acres from the city for $100,000 a year over ten years. The city will also reel in about several hundred thousand dollars more a year from its cut of the gross receipts, a city official told The Post.
The company will invest $30 million to build and operate the new rides by renowned Italian amusement designer Antonio Zamperla.
"Coney Island has long been a place of innovative thrills and attractions," said CAI Vice President Peter Pelle. "Our dedicated team will work with the city to revitalize this iconic New York destination to make it a must-see attraction for locals and visitors from around the world."
The attractions are expected to attract nearly nine million visitors over the next 10 years who will spend over $100 million. The total economic impact on the area could reach $200 million.
The rides will create about 330 jobs by 2011, Bloomberg said.
The city was only able to move forward with the plan after shelling out $95.6 million in November to developer Joe Sitt for nearly seven acres of prime boardwalk land, including the Astroland property.
The new rides will be part of the city’s newly rezoned 27-acre entertainment and amusement district, which also includes the landmark Cyclone roller coaster and Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park. The district is part of a 45-acre Coney Island rezoning that is also set to bring more than 5,000 units of new housing.
Upon completion of the 10-year lease, the city will select a developer to build a permanent amusement park.
And while Bloomberg was excited over the anticipated arrival of the new rides, he isn’t looking to jump on any right away.
"The ride that I have a desire to get on is the Nathan’s hot dog line," he joked.
Luna Park will operate Memorial Day through at least Labor Day, from noon to midnight daily. There will be no entrance fee, and Pelle said tickets for individual rides won't be expensive.
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http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/b...AdoSG0T5mMna3K
The “Scream Zone at Coney Island” will provide additional attractions - including two roller coasters, a human slingshot and go-kart rides.
“Coney Island remains one of the most known and beloved neighborhoods around the world, but for decades its famed amusement park has dwindled to just a tiny fraction of what it once was," said Mayor Bloomberg. "This summer, we're reversing the trend."
The new park is part of the city's Coney Island Revitalization Plan, which will preserve and grow the historic area as well as create jobs.
The park -- dubbed "Luna Park at Coney Island -- will feature 19 rides, including "Air Race," which will make its international debut by the summer of 2011.
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http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/...ew_rides_.html
Coney Island will get two new amusement parks, 23 new rides
BY Erin Durkin
February 16th 2010
Coney Island is reaching into its storied past for its bright new future.
With 19 rides, Luna Park - the name of the original amusement mecca until 1944 - will open Memorial Day, Mayor Bloomberg said Tuesday on the Boardwalk where Astroland once stood.
"We will have rides that will flip you, turn you, launch you, drop you, splash you," said David Galst, operations manager for Central Amusement International, which will run the park along with Italian ride giant Zamperla.
Highlights include:
• The Air Race: It spins riders around a pole while flipping them head over heels in barrel rolls.
• Surf's Up: Riders balance on a surfboard and ride a 90-foot wave.
• The Tickler: Modeled after the original Luna Park's Tickler, cars rotate in circles as they speed over the coaster track's twists and turns.
• Midi Discovery: A giant pendulum will swing riders 60 feet in the air.
The park will have a grand entranceway festooned with crescent moons, just like the one that drew thousands of visitors for the first half of the 20th century before the park burned down in 1944.
And there will be a second new park called Scream Zone next summer, with two new steel roller coasters - one with upside down loops - as well as go-karts and a human slingshot that will launch riders 200 feet in the air.
"Coney Island is coming back big time," Bloomberg said, noting his favorite attraction will always be an old one.
"The ride that really I have a desire to get on at Coney Island is the Nathan's hot dog line," the mayor said.
The city ended a years-long impasse with developer Thor Equities in November and struck a $95.6 million deal to buy 6.9 acres of land for the new park, including the site of the former Astroland, which closed in 2008.
Galst said his company may even try to reopen the iconic Astro Tower.
"We're investigating how we can make it operational once again as a ride," he said.
CAI and Zamperla will lease the space from the city for 10 years for $100,000 a year, spending another $30 million to build Luna Park and Scream Zone.
After that, the city will look for a permanent developer to turn turn Coney into a year-round ride, entertainment and retail destination - in line with a massive development plan passed by the City Council last summer.