Coney Island Plan Starts Review Cycle

BROOKLYN, NY-The Bloomberg administration officially kicks off the rezoning process for Coney Island Tuesday afternoon with a presentation of the long-awaited plan to transform the faded Brooklyn neighborhood famous for its arcades and rides. A draft environmental impact statement was issued last week, and the 20-block rezoning is on the agenda for Tuesday’s scheduled Department of City Planning review session.

In total, the Coney Island rezoning would encompass 47 acres of developable land. According to the DEIS, the plan would establish a 27-acre amusement and entertainment district that would include a 9.39-acre mapped open amusement park as its centerpiece. Outside the mapped parkland, the proposed rezoning aims to create 584,664 square feet of amusement and amusement-enhancing uses including restaurants; 606 hotel rooms; 2,408 residential units, of which 607 would be affordable; 43,236 square feet of accessory retail in the so-called Coney East subdistrict; 277,715 square feet of general retail outside the amusement and entertainment district; and 3,803 parking spaces, including 566 spaces for public use.

In a presentation last week to the Associated Builders and Owners of Greater New York, Tokumbo Shobowale, COO of the New York City Economic Development Corp., cited the importance of establishing Coney Island as a year-round destination. A statement from Mayor Michael Bloomberg issued Monday afternoon reiterates that priority.