NEW YORK | Coney Island Redevelopment

[NYguy]

Seems the boardwalk saga is coming to its natural end, and the "Boardwalk 8" can see the writing on the wall...

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/b...ItMUTukUVg0mZI
Coney attractions want $2M to leave

By RICH CALDER
December 27, 2010

A group of storied boardwalk businesses have drawn a line in the Coney Island sand -- demanding at least $2 million before they'll agree to move out and make way for a modern amusement district, sources said.

"The tenants are holding the boardwalk hostage in order to get a big payout and then walk away," a city official told The Post.

The eight mainstays -- including Ruby's Bar and Grill and Shoot the Freak -- feel they are the ones being shafted. They were slapped with eviction notices on Nov. 1 by Zamperla, an Italian company tapped by the city to both run Luna Park and redevelop the properties that house the longtime boardwalk businesses.

The boardwalk operators have sued Zamperla to block the evictions but are quietly trying to reach a settlement -- seeking an average of at least $250,000 for each of the businesses, said two sources close to the negotiations.

Anthony Berlingieri, owner of the shuttered Shoot the Freak attraction and Beer Island bar, said remaining on the boardwalk is still the main goal.

"Is there a magic number that could change my mind? Perhaps, but my goal from the beginning has always been to come back," said Berlingieri, whose human-target paintball-shooting gallery was bulldozed by Zamperla last week before a judge could rule on the evictions.

The businesses believe delaying the eviction process will force Zamperla to bring them back in 2011 because Zamperla wouldn't have enough time to move forward with its $5 million plan for a cleaner, more sanitized boardwalk featuring a swanky sit-down restaurant and sports bar.

But Zamperla says the sites' storefronts are unsafe. The company even told The Post last week it would rather have shuttered storefronts than bring them back.

Lawyers for all sides, meanwhile, have been quietly discussing a settlement plan.

Sources say the biggest holdup had been Zamperla, which doesn't want to give the businesses a dime, partly because of the way they have played on the public's sympathy.

Lawyers for the businesses and Zamperla did not return messages.

"We're confident that the boardwalk will be open for business, one way or another," city spokesman David Lombino said.

Although Luna Park, Deno's Wonder Wheel Park and the Cyclone will be back next summer, the eviction battle could leave much of the prime boardwalk area near Stillwell Avenue vacant, except a lot where Zamperla plans to unveil four rides.

[NYguy]

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/..._pay_5000.html

Coney Island amusement giant slapped with $5,000 fine after knocking down Shoot the Freak



BY Erin Durkin
December 31st 2010

The city slapped amusement giant Zamperla with a $5,000 fine Thursday for illegally razing Coney Island's Shoot the Freak.

The company tore down the Boardwalk game and boarded up the property last week without a permit, Buildings Department officials said.

The city issued a stop-work order to bar further demolition.

Shoot the Freak is one of nine Boardwalk businesses that Zamperla is trying to boot to make way for glitzier attractions.

The eviction battle is still pending in court.

"In the middle of the night they come and raze my place and knock it down without building permits or nothing," said Shoot the Freak owner Anthony Berlingieri. "This is all about greed."

He said he's glad Zamperla will pay for the move but is still devastated the game is gone. "It's an empty lot, like if Shoot the Freak was never there," he said.

Zamperla spokesman Tom Corsillo said it has "instructed its contractor to fully cooperate with the Buildings Department investigation."

[NYguy]

With a new operator coming for the Cyclone, looks lime the small museum (CIHP) will be moving...

http://www.nypress.com/blog-8000-the...rful-past.html
The Coney Island History Project Wants to Tell You About Area's Colorful Past

The view from the top of the Wonder Wheel is enough to remind even the most jaded New Yorker what makes Coney Island such an impressive place—so it's not really surprising that the Coney Island History Project is moving its exhibition center from under the Cyclone coaster to the heart of Deno's Wonder Wheel Park.

Founded in 2004, the organization aims to highlight the area’s colorful past and offers tours, performances and various exhibits. The latest was an exhibition of the original Luna Park, which History Project Director Charles Denson called, “a visual delight, a 'grotesquely delightful' storybook fantasy land… It was known as the 'Electric Eden,' a city 'sketched in flame.'"

The goings and comings of the Coney Island landscape have been the talk of the town for the last few years.

The past year has seen the demise of boardwalk staples such as Ruby’s Bar & Grill and the jarring sight of the boarded up Shoot the Freak attraction. Four iconic buildings in the area, including the Shore Hotel, were denied landmark rights and slated for demolition.

And while some were left wondering if all this hoopla is justified (did anyone ever like Coney Island to begin with?) The Coney Island History Project is set on reminding everyone why we have and always will love the eeriness that is Coney Island.

http://www.coneyislandhistory.org/
The Coney Island History Project Is Moving from One Landmark to Another!

Since the Coney Island History Project's inception in 2004 with a portable recording booth on the Boardwalk, followed by the opening of the Coney Island Hall of Fame in 2005 and the inaugural season of our exhibition center under the Cyclone in 2007, we have proudly offered "Free Admission for One and All!" at our exhibits and events.

In 2011, the History Project will continue that tradition at a new exhibition center in the heart of Deno's Wonder Wheel Park.

We are grateful to the Vourderis family for inviting us to set up history exhibits in locations around their park, and to the Albert family for their ongoing support as the History Project continues its mission of recording oral histories with people who lived, worked, and played in Coney Island. Come visit us at the Wonder Wheel in 2011!

[Roadcruiser1]

I really don't like why they are literally ripping every part of Coney Island's history. I go there every summer. Will the old Coney Island that I know with it's small rides, cheap food, mom & pop stores, and arcades disappear?. Or be altered so much that I won't know the new Coney Island?. Whatever it is I am sure my kids will grow up in a different Coney Island from the one I know. I even remember seeing the crumbling Thunderbolt roller coaster before it was torn down. What they are now doing to Coney Island isn't helping. It's called destroying the past, and the past things that I knew which made Coney Island.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Roadcruiser1

I really don't like why they are literally ripping every part of Coney Island's history. I go there every summer. Will the old Coney Island that I know with it's small rides, cheap food, mom & pop stores, and arcades disappear?

Most likely. The fact is, the area has been disintegrating and disappearing for decades, long before this redevelopment plan went into effect. It could have been left to rot away until finally there was no amusement district to speak of. I understand that some people don't like the major changes that are happening to the area, but given the circumstances, a simple clean up of the area just wouldn't do it. I guess you an say it had to be broken down to be built back up. But the redevelopment is already showing signs of success, and for the most part has barely begun.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Roadcruiser1

I really don't like why they are literally ripping every part of Coney Island's history. I go there every summer. Will the old Coney Island that I know with it's small rides, cheap food, mom & pop stores, and arcades disappear?. Or be altered so much that I won't know the new Coney Island?. Whatever it is I am sure my kids will grow up in a different Coney Island from the one I know. I even remember seeing the crumbling Thunderbolt roller coaster before it was torn down. What they are now doing to Coney Island isn't helping. It's called destroying the past, and the past things that I knew which made Coney Island.

If it helps, read Rem Koolhaas' chapter about Coney in Delirious New York.

Steeplechase, Luna, and Dreamland were places where many elements of our modern world came into being. Now, with all three of them gone, Coney is just another tawdry boardwalk like plenty of others in Jersey or Maryland.

I'm not a New Yorker, but I'd welcome an opportunity for Coney to be a groundbreaking place again. There are some places in Japan or Hong Kong where you can still see this kind of futurism in action. Tomorrowland at Disney was supposed to be like this, but now it's a pale shadow.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by ardecila

I'm not a New Yorker, but I'd welcome an opportunity for Coney to be a groundbreaking place again. There are some places in Japan or Hong Kong where you can still see this kind of futurism in action. Tomorrowland at Disney was supposed to be like this, but now it's a pale shadow.

A lot of New Yorkers wouldn't even think of going to Coney Island, mostly because of what it has become the past few decades. But like you said, it wasn't always that way. The people who talk about losing Coney Island as it is today, forget that it became that way due to a string of unfortunate circumstances and events. Imagine a Dreamland, Luna Park, and Steeplechase today. The city's redevelopment of the amusement area seeks to create an entirely new experience. Say what you want about Times Square, but it's not lacking in crowds. Outdoor amusements alone won't make Coney a 365-day a year attraction.

[NYguy]

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/...s_in_2010.html

Brooklyn's tourism business is boomin' as 15 million people visit to borough

BY Erin Durkin
January 6th 2011

The city's tourism bonanza is giving Brooklyn a boost.

More out-of-towners came to the borough in 2010 than ever before - part of a 6.8 % citywide increase that drew 48.7 million visitors to the New Yor city after tourism took a big hit in 2009 from the recession.

Brooklyn attractions and cultural institutions drew 15 million visitors in 2010, according to estimates by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.

Those numbers include both tourists and locals - and part of the increase could come from cash-strapped Brooklynites taking in local attractions instead of traveling.

But officials and cultural intstitutions say they've also seen more tourists.

"It is a record high this year," said Markowitz, citing the borough's growing international reputation as a creative hub. "Brooklyn's got its own buzz."

Internationally, the biggest numbers tourists come from Western Europe, Japan, and increasingly China, Markowitz said.

"Just walking around the park, you can hear the different languages spoken," said Dennis Vourderis, owner of Deno's Wonder Wheel Park in Coney Island. "There are a lot more people coming in from Europe...They've never been to Coney Island before."

Visitors to his park jumped 17% last summer, during a banner year in which sunny skies and new attractions brought 14 million people to Coney Island. It was the amusement area's best season in 46 years.

The New York Aquarium drew 25,000 more visitors last year, jumping to 767,023, the highest among Brooklyn cultural institutions.

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden also had an increase in 2010 - 10,000 visitors more than the previous year.

[Roadcruiser1]

That sounds great, but we really need a better Coney Island like the old one we had, and fast, and we would be able to draw in more crowds, and hopefully it would be all season, and like the old one it should carry futuristic rides too. They should also build more roller coasters the original Coney Island had three the Cyclone, Thunderbolt, and Tornado. Now we only have the Cyclone. We need more. If possible we should build a replica Thunderbolt, and Tornado using old pictures, and information. They were able to replicate the Cyclone in some places so it might work. So they can draw a large Bahamas like crowd, and make more people want to stay in NYC without going to NJ to have fun. Hey we can even build some casinos to keep the gamblers here in the state.

They should also improve the transportation to Coney Island, and build a ferry terminal there too to allow more people to go there. One of my suggestions is to create the ferry terminal from the current pier where people fish from during the summer. It can be big enough to allow many of the yachts that cruise offshore to port, and to allow the NYC Water Taxi along with the Staten Island Ferry to port there with the Staten Island Ferry going to Staten Island during the Summer months, but not the Winter months to save costs, but it the terminal would be built at the end of the pier, and people would still be allowed to fish off the piers.

[ardecila]

Hehe... both casino gambling and ferry service from Manhattan were part of the old Coney. What goes around comes around.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Roadcruiser1

They should also build more roller coasters the original Coney Island had three the Cyclone, Thunderbolt, and Tornado. Now we only have the Cyclone. We need more.

Back in the glory days, there were at least a dozen at one time (overall in the history of Coney Island there have been far more).

Hey we can even build some casinos to keep the gamblers here in the state.

That idea came up back in the 70's, as an idea to replace the amusements and revitalize Coney Island. That idea went nowhere, and thankfully so. Let amusements be the big draw for Coney. Any casinos or similarities to casinos can go elsewhere (like the new Resortsworld casino under construction at Aqueduct).

They should also improve the transportation to Coney Island, and build a ferry terminal there too to allow more people to go there. One of my suggestions is to create the ferry terminal from the current pier where people fish from during the summer.

Ferry service isn't a bad idea, but the subway is still the best way to go, and can move far more people. Still, Coney Island once had ferries, and it wouldn't hurt to have a few, especially since ferry service has been expanding around the City.



Some New Year's Day photos from matt troy













More from paganopics

[NYguy]

http://amusingthezillion.com/2011/01...rson-building/

Photo Album: Joe Sitt’s Bulldozer Crushes Henderson Building

January 6, 2011 by Tricia

Coney Island photographer Eric Kowalsky, who documented the demolition of the Bank of Coney Island in November, has eloquently captured the destruction-in-progress of the historic Henderson Music Hall in this series of images.

Eric put his camera through the gate on Henderson Walk to take the above photo of the crushed remains of part of the Henderson Building formerly occupied by Faber’s Fascination. “They took the front and side of the building down. The Bowery is still standing,” he said this morning.

The Henderson Building is the first sight you see on Surf Avenue when you step out of Stillwell Terminal. It is at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues. We should probably use the past tense, though the demolition is still underway. The first sight you see when you step out of Stillwell will soon be another empty lot to add to Joe Sitt’s collection of empty lots.

Thor Equities Demolition of the Henderson Building. January 5, 2010. Photo © Eric Kowalsky



Thor Equities Demolition of the Henderson Building. January 5, 2010. Photo © Eric Kowalsky



Thor Equities Demolition of the Henderson Building. January 5, 2010. Photo © Eric Kowalsky



Thor Equities Demolition of the Henderson Building. January 5, 2010. Photo © Eric Kowalsky

[Roadcruiser1]

These are very sad days of Coney Island. There are going to be a lot of empty lots at Coney Island this summer. This Coney Island redevelopment plan sounds more to me like Robert Moses then the real truth of building. Not caring what they are tearing down. Just take it down, and build nothing or some crappy cold brutalist structure.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Roadcruiser1

These are very sad days of Coney Island. There are going to be a lot of empty lots at Coney Island this summer. This Coney Island redevelopment plan sounds more to me like Robert Moses then the real truth of building. Not caring what they are tearing down. Just take it down, and build nothing or some crappy cold brutalist structure.

Actually, there will be less empty lots in Coney this year than there were last year, and last year Coney Island had the most successful season it's had in decades. Nothing sad about it.

[NYguy]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/b...m7MqogOwiEnLEJ

Pol to Coney 8: End surf-turf war

By RICH CALDER
January 10, 2011

A local councilman is taking sides in the heated battle over the Coney Island boardwalk -- accusing eight storied businesses of endangering hundreds of much-needed year-round jobs for the gritty neighborhood by fighting eviction proceedings.

Democratic Councilman Domenic Recchia Jr. says he his throwing his support behind Zamperla, the Italy-based design and manufacturing firm tapped by the Bloomberg administration to open Luna Park and redevelop surrounding sites.

Those sites currently house Ruby's Bar and Grill, Shoot the Freak and other boardwalk mainstays.

"The stakes are too high to risk losing" the 360 new jobs, many of them full time, that Zamperla estimates it will bring next summer, Recchia said.

Recchia’s concern is the businesses’ legal challenge will continue holding up Zamperla’s $5 million plan to create a cleaner, more sanitized boardwalk featuring a swanky sit-down restaurant and sports bar.

The eight businesses employ scores of seasonal workers only.

“I understand the sentiment that these businesses have been here a long time, but they also made a lot of money paying cheap rent all these years,” Recchia said. “If they really cared, I know firsthand that they had plenty of chances to buy these properties and fix them up, but they never did.”

But Linda Gross, the businesses’ spokeswoman, said they never had solid offers to buy land and wondered why Recchia is speaking up now -- with the eviction case slated today to heard before a Brooklyn housing court judge.

She accused Recchia of doing Mayor Bloomberg’s “bidding” as payback for the mayor “lobbying successfully” last year for Recchia’s plum appointment as chairman of the council’s powerful Finance Committee.

Recchia, who denied any such payback, praised Zamperla’s boardwalk plan for offering “healthy eating options” rather than the “same greasy food” – such as gyros -- which “a majority” of businesses facing evictions now sell.

But Gross ripped Zamperla’s choice of new boardwalk food provider: French cafeteria-services giant Sodexo, which the Post reported has paid $100 million in legal settlements since 2005 to settle allegations of overcharging New York students and of denying black employees promotions.

For years, Recchia was actually at odds with the mayor over Coney Island when Recchia supporter, developer Joe Sitt, wanted to bring a Vegas-style entertainment complex to amusement district. But Sitt sold most of his boardwalk land last year to the city, which then leased it to Zamperla to pave way for Luna Park and other development.

____________________________________________________

http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories...1_1_13_bk.html
‘History’ on the move as Coney Island project finds a safer home



Charlie Denson will move the Coney Island History Project from the Cyclone (below) into safer space inside Wonder Wheel Park.



By Alex Rush
January 10, 2011

A museum of Coney Island history is making moves to ensure that it will be part of Coney Island’s future.

The booth-size Coney Island History Project, which pays homage to the supposed glory days of the beach-side neighborhood, will close its facility at the base of the Cyclone on Surf Avenue and open a new exhibition center near the landmark Deno’s Wonder Wheel two blocks away.

History Project Executive Director Charles Denson said that the museum’s five-year lease at the 83-year-old coaster has expired, and that he was worried about getting evicted after the city selects a new operator for the landmark attraction.

“We were offered the space by Wonder Wheel Park and were happy to take it because the Cyclone is going through a transition,” Denson said. “Things are uncertain there and this was a good opportunity for us.”

Denson said that he has not decided how big the new facility will be, but Wonder Wheel co-owner Dennis Vourderis said that he is prepared to offer the History Project two storefronts: one near the entrance at the corner of Jones Walk and Bowery Street and another on West 12th Street near the Boardwalk. Construction on a new History Project booth will start in the coming weeks and will be completed in time for the spring, Vourderis said.

“We’ve been wanting to host the Coney Island History Project for a long time,” said Vourderis, whose father bought the massive Ferris wheel — itself a city landmark — in 1983. “We’re proud to have them here.”

The History Project started in 2004 as a mobile Boardwalk display booth and opened under the Cyclone three years later. Its main exhibit is a model horse from the legendary Steeplechase ride, but it also shows off old-time photos and recorded testimonies by notable Coney figures. The Project even posts downloadable audio/visual walking tours on its web site.

Denson considers the Cyclone-based History Project a success, as its free exhibitions draw hundreds of people every weekend, but he was worried that a future Cyclone operator would feel differently. The Parks Department announced in October that it would replace Carol Albert, whose family has operated the iconic wooden coaster since 1976. The goal is to make the Cyclone a revamped, year-long amusement attraction.

By renting a new space near the Wonder Wheel, the History Project will avoid the fate of eight Boardwalk businesses that were evicted last year as part of the city’s push to remake the main amusement area in Coney Island.

But Denson denied that the plight of the evicted “Coney Island Eight” influenced his decision to leave. He merely said that “the move is right for our business now.”

[NYguy]

http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/brookl...S0u7vwkITZ8afO

New snag in Zamperla's plan to boot Coney Island 8 off the Boardwalk

By Rich Calder
January 10, 2010

A heated turf war over Coney Island’s boardwalk will drag on at least another month as eight storied businesses fighting eviction proceedings had their cases today pushed back to Feb. 16 by a Brooklyn Housing Court judge.

The postponement of today’s scheduled hearing came because landlord Zamperla USA now needs to file legal papers in response to a new motion by the businesses’ lawyer to dismiss eviction proceedings that began Nov. 1.

Afterwards, Zamperla President Valerio Ferrari reiterated his previous warning that the legal holdups are making it more likely each day that Coney Island will be flooded with shuttered storefronts next summer.

“There’s a lot of jobs at stake,” he said, referring to 360 jobs Zamperla projects bringing through a $5 million plan to create a cleaner, more sanitized amusement district featuring a swanky restaurant and sports bar.

The businesses are hoping that dragging out the legal fight will force Zamperla to bring them back in 2011.

But Zamperla officials told the Post last month they won’t allow Ruby’s Bar and Grill, Shoot the Freak and the other beloved attractions back next season .They said the buildings they occupy – which records show have piled up stacks of city building code violations – are unsafe and that no one should be using them as is.

Construction is already two months behind schedule.

The businesses were slapped with eviction notices on Nov.1 by Zamperla, an Italian company tapped by the city to both run Luna Park and redevelop the properties that house the longtime boardwalk businesses.

Although Luna Park, Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park and the Cyclone will be back next summer, the delays could mean that much of the prime boardwalk area near Stillwell Avenue would be vacant, except a lot where Zamperla plans to unveil four new rides.

[NYguy]

http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categor..._id=5&id=40642

Childs Restaurant Designated an Individual Landmark
Gets Unanimous Vote for Its ‘Architectural, Historic and Cultural Significance’


by Linda Collins
01-11-2011

As anticipated, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) unanimously approved the designation of the former Childs Restaurant building in Coney Island as a New York City individual landmark yesterday, citing its “architectural, historic and cultural significance.”

This Childs, at 1208 Surf Ave., was completed in 1917 as part of a larger effort to transform Coney Island into a “wholesome” amusement area. It was the first restaurant in Coney Island built for the well-known chain, which opened in 1889 and served simple, reasonably priced food in a clean setting.

The building, designed by one of the chain’s in-house architects, John C. Westervelt, incorporates elements of the Spanish and Mediterranean Revival styles, such as a red tile roof, round-arch openings and a white façade, according to Robert Tierney, LPC chair.

“The unusual design of the building recalls a resort typically found in Florida or the Caribbean, Tierney said. “It helped set the tone for the millions of visitors who flocked to Coney Island each summer to escape the heat of the city, and contributed to the amusement area’s aura of fantasy.”

In 1923, Childs opened a second restaurant along the Boardwalk at 21st Street, which was designated a landmark in 2003, along the Coney Island Boardwalk at 21st Street.

The chain was responsible for introducing cafeteria service and had restaurants in 14 American cities and Canada by 1950. The Riese Brothers bought the company in 1966, and opened the 90th Childs Restaurant in Midtown in 1966. Childs operated the Surf Avenue restaurant until 1943, when the building was leased to the Blue Bird Casino and restaurant, and then later for David Rosen’s Wonderland Circus Sideshow.

Since 2007 it has housed Coney Island USA, operator of the Mermaid Parade and the Coney Island Museum.

It joins a group of other landmarked sites on Coney Island, including the Shore Theater, which was designated on Dec. 14, the Wonder Wheel, the Parachute Jump and the Cyclone.

[NYguy]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...googlenews_wsj

Ups and Downs Coming

By JOSEPH DE AVILA
January 19, 2011

Beach weather is still several months away, but Coney Island is already preparing for the addition of its newest amusement park, to be called Scream Zone.

Scream Zone will open in April and include two roller coasters to be named Steeplechase Coaster and Soaring Eagle. They will be the first new coasters in Coney Island since the Cyclone opened in 1927.

"I can't wait for it," said Dick Zigun, who runs the Coney Island Museum and the Mermaid Parade. "It marks the real change from the old Coney Island to the new Coney Island."

Construction on the Scream Zone, located along the boardwalk between West 12th and 15th streets, will begin next week by Central Amusement International, a unit of ride maker and amusement-park operator Antonio Zamperla SpA of Italy.

The company has a 10-year lease with the city to operate Scream Zone and another amusement park, Luna Park, which opened last year on the former grounds of the Astroland amusement area.

The success of Luna Park, which drew 450,000 visitors in 2010, has been credited with helping Coney Island achieve its best attendance numbers in years.

While Luna Park offers family-friendly rides for young kids, Scream Zone intends "to push the envelope of the roller coaster experience in Coney Island," said Valerio Ferrari, president of Central Amusement International.

The amusement-park operator is investing $12 million on the three-acre Scream Zone site, which is now vacant after being cleared of batting cages and a mini-golf course. Overall plans for the new park were announced by Mayor Michael Bloomberg last year, but details about Scream Zone weren't previously available.

Central Amusement International's plans for a new Coney Island have drawn criticism in the past. In November, the company evicted many longtime tenants—including Shoot the Freak and Ruby's Bar and Grill—to make room for new vendors. Some of the businesses are fighting the evictions; a court hearing is scheduled for Feb. 16.

"We're told that there's a new 'vision' for Coney Island, but that vision was never shared with us," said Linda Cronin-Gross, a spokeswoman for the group. "We will continue to fight to stay where we belong—right here on the Coney Island boardwalk."

Mr. Ferrari declined to elaborate on his company's plans for the boardwalk because of the court fight.

"The fact is that the boardwalk is going to be revitalized and revamped," said Tom Corsillo, a spokesman with Central Amusement International. "It's going to be a great experience."

City Council member Domenic Recchia, whose district includes Coney Island, credited Central Amusement International for bringing jobs to the neighborhood and for attempting to create a year-round destination at Coney Island.

"They are looking for new ideas," Mr. Recchia said. "You can't have all the same thing."

Video clip
http://online.wsj.com/video/revamped...37C1025D8.html

[NYguy]

Coney Island Waltz (wait for the end)

• Video Link

[NYguy]

http://www.observer.com/2011/real-es...-breaks-ground

Big Kid's Coney Island Breaks Ground







By Matt Chaban
January 19, 2011

Last summer saw some of the highest attendance at Coney Island in decades, thanks in large part to the reopened Luna Park. Now, the city and Italian amusement operator Zamperla are hoping to reach new heights with two rollercoasters and a slew of other thrill rides at Scream Zone, a new mini-amusement park set to open this summer.

Zamperla announced today that the $12 million project has broken ground and will be ready for an April opening with the first coasters Coney has seen in eight decades.

"We are proud of the historic success of Luna Park and look forward to further contributing to a resurgent Coney Island with Scream Zone," Valerio Ferrari, president of Zamperla subsidiary Central Amusement International, said in a statement. "With brand new thrill rides — including two major roller coasters — adding to the 19 attractions at Luna Park and other amusements throughout the neighborhood, we are confident that Coney Island's place as America's Playground is once again secure."

The Scream Zone will double the size of Zamperla's amusements to six acres of ocean-side enjoyment. It includes a slingshot ride and a torpedo ride as well as the two new rollercoasters: the Steeplechase, a standard coaster design that pays homage to Coney's oldest amusement park, and the Soaring Eagle, a suspension coaster. Such thrill rides are meant to attract an older audience than the crowds that frequent Luna Park, which has simpler carnival-style rides.

There are thrills of another sort awaiting Zamperla in court, where the Coney 8, a group of local businesses that have been ousted from the boardwalk, continue to fight their eviction. Perhaps they could consider going to work for Zamperla, as Coney-centric blog Amusing the Zillions reports the company is now hiring for summer staff at Luna Park.