Community Board 13’s Land Use Committee dealt a blow to the proposed Coney Island casino on Wednesday night, as it voted to deny developers’ application to alter land use restrictions to make way for the facility.
After a heated two-hour meeting, the committee voted 7-2 against the application, with one abstention. The full board will vote on the proposal on Jan. 22.
To build the massive gaming facility, the team behind “The Coney,” headed by local developer Thor Equities, wants to close — or “demap” — a portion of Bowery Street and purchase air rights along West 12th Street and Stillwell Avenue, as well as raise a portion of Stillwell Avenue.
That would allow them to build high-rise towers connected by enclosed pedestrian bridges over existing buildings — assuming the facility also receives a state gaming license later this year. The vote by CB13’s Land Use Committee is just the first step in the Uniform Land Use Review process, and is strictly advisory, as is the vote by the full board next week.
Public approval, though, is a must for developers seeking casino licenses. Per the state Gaming Facility Location Board, if a given proposal doesn’t have enough support, it won’t be considered by the board.
“[The community] don’t want the casino, and demapping is a stepping stone to that,” said committee member Angela Kravtchenko at the Jan. 15 meeting. “We don’t need more traffic, more gambling, more crime.”
The Jan. 15 hearing was entirely virtual for non-committee members, and nearly 200 people attended on Zoom — many with matching “No Casino” virtual backdrops.
At and ahead of the meeting, developers argued that The Coney would bring thousands of jobs and year-round economic activity to The People’s Playground, revitalizing the historic neighborhood.
Residents sound off at public hearing
Still, the local opinion is split. At a contentious public hearing on Jan. 9, hundreds of Coney Islanders spoke out against the casino, worried it could negatively impact the historic neighborhood and its residents.
Longtime resident Kristina Kim, said that while Coney Island is in need of support, The Coney is not the right choice for the nabe.
“If you want to create jobs, invest in education. We don’t need more people knowing how to work a blackjack table, we need lifeguards, we need teachers,” she said. “We need to fix the streets that flood every time it rains, we need to finish the playgrounds that have been under construction for years.”
But supporters — some clad in branded “The Coney” T-shirts — see a glimmer of hope for an underserved community.
“This is a community that has been promised so much for so many decades, and nothing came about,” said Marie Mirville Shahzada. “Now you have a developer that wants to sit down with you and do something and all of you say ‘No, no, no.’”
Developers face the Land Use Committee
In their presentation to the committee on Wednesday, developers said approving the land use application would make way for a safer, pedestrianized Stillwell Avenue that would create an “entryway” to the boardwalk and amusement district, as well as the casino.
Demapping part of Bowery Street, said architect Dan Kaplan, would make way for an internal entrance for vehicles that would help reduce traffic on local streets.
Kaplan also said The Coney, if approved, would provide and advocate for public benefits. Last week, the team announced it would create a $2 million public trust to improve the community if the casino is built.
Further, the architect said, developers would advocate for an oceanside ferry to Coney Island — something locals have fought toward for years — as well as express subway service and street safety improvements like new turn lanes and changes to traffic signals.
Committee member Yelena Makhnin was skeptical.
“Thor Equities is part of this community for God knows how many years,” she said. “I don’t remember anything done by the community by this company.”
Makhnin said she supported the 2009 Coney Island rezoning, which included rezoning one of Sitt’s properties to make way for a large hotel — which was never built. Years later, residents criticized Sitt for leaving other properties on Bowery Street undeveloped and dirty.
At the Jan. 9 hearing, Adam Rinn, creative director of Coney Island USA, said that if Thor Equities “really cared,” it would have already fixed up a vacant lot at the corner of Surf Avenue and West 12th Street.
“[Sitt] got what he asked for, the community got absolutely nothing,” Makhnin said. “I understand this is capitalism, OK, that’s why I left the Soviet Union and came to United States. But you know what, [the] history of that company, and involvement in the community, and making community benefit dependent on gambling…makes me [vote] no.”
A representative for The Coney pushed back on Makhnin’s criticisms.
“To start, the 2009 rezoning created a special entertainment district in the exact location this is being proposed,” they said. “Second, there have been investments, such as the new building constructed on the corner of Surf Avenue and Stillwell Avenue and the Coney Art Walls — but it is nearly impossible to attract tenants because, for too long, Coney Island has been a purely seasonal destination, something The Coney changes.“
Michael Russo, one of the two committee members to vote in favor of the application, said the city invested in Coney Island years ago in an effort to bring the neighborhood back to life. Now, development has stalled, as have improvements.
“I am a product of Coney Island, and like I said before, Coney Island is not the last stop, this is where things start,” Russo said. “We have to start building again, start developing. Not just for the casino. Everything needs to be developed to help Coney Island get back.”
Though the committee voted largely against the proposal, a representative of The Coney said it was clear “that the more people hear about our project, the more support it generates as evident by the divided initial advisory vote.”
“A $3 billion development, $200 million community trust fund, more than 4,500 good-paying union construction jobs, 4,000 full-time good-paying operational union jobs and the creation of a whole new slate of entertainment and dining options will revitalize Coney Island and turn it into the premier year-round destination it deserves to be,” the rep told Brooklyn Paper. “As part of this ongoing process, we continue to receive helpful and constructive feedback that gets incorporated into our RFA and we look forward to continued discussions with the community.”
After the full board vote on Jan. 22, the application will be reviewed by the borough president, the City Planning Commission, and the City Council.
If The Coney receives a license but the land use application is denied, the rep said, developers will change the design and will not be able to include flood-prevention measures included in the current proposal.
Additional reporting by Erica Price
