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New look for Coney Island in 2008

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

May 29, 2007

Despite all the talk, there will still be a Coney Island next year. It just may have a different look and feel.

"I get calls all the time about this being the end of Coney Island," Coney Island Development Corp. President Lynn Kelly said. "Frankly, you can't kill something that's been around over a 100 years."

Astroland's 45-year run is expected to end after this summer, and the go-karts, batting cages, bumper boats and miniature golf have already been shut down. But many other rides and businesses will be unchanged in 2008.

The historic Cyclone roller coaster, Wonder Wheel and Parachute Jump rides, all owned by the city, will survive. Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park also expects to open next season. The Coney Island Museum, Sideshows by the Seashore, Nathan's Famous hot dogs, the New York Aquarium and KeySpan Park -- home to the Brooklyn Cyclones minor-league baseball team -- are other major attractions that will stay put.

There's even a chance Astroland could resurface elsewhere on Coney Island. Owner Carol Hill Albert sold the land where Astroland sits, but retained ownership of the business and its rides. She said she is in talks with the city about finding a new home but will have to decide whether to sell the rides in the next month.

The future is also uncertain for business owners who lease boardwalk property from Thor Equities, which has plans for a 10-acre, $2 billion redevelopment in the Coney Island amusement district. Most of those tenants won't learn their fate until after the city has rezoned the amusement district, expected to be voted on by the City Council in 2008.

Thor spokesman Lee Silberstein said the developer is "very open" to retaining "quality" tenants along the boardwalk, specifically naming Ruby's Bar, the Shoot the Freak game and Lola Staar's Souvenir Shop.

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