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Protesters: City's Coney Island plans no fun

By Ryan Chatelain, amNewYork Associate Editor | ryan.chatelain@am-ny.com

May 23, 2008

On opening day at Coney Island Beach in Brooklyn, demonstraters express their frustration with Mayor Bloomberg's revised plan for the Coney Island/Astroland neighborhood. (amNewYork Photo/ Ryan Chatelain / May 22, 2008)

Carrying protest signs and singing "Save Coney Island," about three dozen demonstrators Thursday voiced their anger over a city plan for the amusement district just moments before city officials held a ceremony declaring the beach open for the summer.

Among the demonstrators' gripes are the proposed additions of high-rise buildings and major retail establishments, including a Niketown, which they say would effectively threaten the district's unique character.

"It's not going to be an amusement zone anymore," said Tricia Vita, a protester on the Coney Island boardwalk Thursday. "It's kind of like, 'Honey, they shrunk the amusement park to build condos. Where are we going to take the kids, to a shoe store?'"

In an effort to protect the area's storied amusement district and convert it into a year-round destination, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced in November a plan to acquire 15 acres from landowners and designate it parkland. The city said it would seek a single operator to develop a city-owned amusement park.

However, last month City Hall announced a modified plan that reduces the area of protected parkland to nine acres. Lynn Kelly, president of the city-run Coney Island Development Corp., said the changes were in response to community feedback and designed to allow current landowners to retain some of their property, where they could add indoor amusements that would attract visitors in the winter.

Kelly added that the six acres left out of the new parkland proposal will still include rides and entertainment and that the city will "absolutely under no certain terms" allow residential development in the amusement area.

"We're actually doubling the size of the current amusements," she said.

Also in the city's plans are a glass-enclosed water park, high-rise hotels, a bowling alley, an IMAX movie theater and businesses such as House of Blues and Dave & Buster's. Protesters said they fear the high-rises will become condos.

"They have to rethink this," said Coney Island historian Charles Denson. "Coney's not for shopping. It's hallowed ground."