Last night, Coney Island locals gathered to debate a proposal from a developer that would fundamentally alter the face and function of the People’s Playground.
At a public land use hearing held by Community Board 13 at the Coney Island YMCA, residents and business owners sounded off on the Coney, a project from Brooklyn developer Thor Equities and Oklahoma-based Chickasaw Nation seeking to transform five acres of the iconic boardwalk into a massive complex housing a casino, a hotel, a convention center, and a music venue.
Clips posted across social media show a loud and heated stand-off at the Y. Advocates seem overwhelmingly pro-business, relishing the thought of year-round foot traffic to their bars, restaurants, and seaside tchotchke shops in an area reliant on seasonal tourism. They also claim the project, per the developer’s plans, would bring thousands of jobs to the area.
My speech at At the Coney Island Y casino Land use application meeting 1/9/25 I said Justin Brannan Name. @theconeynyc @32BJSEIU @BKBPReynoso @ReynosoBrooklyn v pic.twitter.com/nx9i5AH8eU
— Christopher Leon Johnson(Leon Christopher Johnson) (@Chrislejohnyc) January 10, 2025
Opponents, on the other hand, appear focused on how a project of this scale would affect the day-to-day lives of those who actually live in Coney Island and already work there. The plan reportedly calls for the “demapping” (or effective privatization) of streets along Surf Avenue and the demolition and displacement of roughly 90 percent of Luna Park rides and vendors, according to a rendering of the proposal shared by Coney Island USA, a local non-profit arts organization leading the campaign against the casino. “It’s clear to us that this is simply a catastrophic destruction of the entire neighborhood!,” they wrote in a statement on Instagram.
According to Gothamist, the Coney is one of 11 casino proposals currently under review by the New York State Gaming Commission, which is set to approve as many as three by the end of the year. But the proposals are not exactly winning over residents of the targeted neighborhoods. Already, a proposal for a $12 billion casino in Hudson Yards has been shot down by Community Board 4. “A carefully planned mixed-use neighborhood is wiped out for a garish Las Vegas-style monstrosity that has no place on Manhattan’s West Side,” said Joshua David, a co-founder of Friends of the High Line and former member of the local community board, during a recent board hearing.
The next Community Board 13 meeting regarding the land use for the Coney proposal will be held on Jan. 15, and a full board vote will be held on Jan. 22. Scroll through some of the scenes from last night’s hearing below.
Packed house at Community Board 13 public hearing at the Coney Island Y re: proposed development of a casino, convention center, and other facilities. https://t.co/i3Vekom70C pic.twitter.com/J0weg6JgZv
— PRO_NYC (@protest_nyc) January 10, 2025
At the Coney Island Y casino Land use application meeting 1/9/25 pic.twitter.com/KC8sdcbUce
— Christopher Leon Johnson(Leon Christopher Johnson) (@Chrislejohnyc) January 9, 2025
At the Coney Island Y casino Land use application meeting 1/9/25 pic.twitter.com/bOU8LAvbzc
— Christopher Leon Johnson(Leon Christopher Johnson) (@Chrislejohnyc) January 10, 2025
The post Coney Island Residents Push Back Against Boardwalk Casino Proposal appeared first on BKMAG.
