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Spotlight:
The Coney Island Casino
On Thursday, Jan. 9, Coney Island locals gathered at the Coney Island YMCA to debate a transformative land use proposal.
CONEY ISLAND — Emotions ran high as supporters and opponents of the proposed The Coney Casino and Entertainment Resort clashed at a Community Board 13 public land hearing at the Coney Island YMCA on Jan. 9.
Community members had the chance to make their voices and feelings heard regarding the mega-development along the iconic boardwalk that has served as a background for movie classics like “The Little Fugitive” by Morris Engel and Ruth Orkin, and their testimonies were often interrupted and drowned by the raucous crowd’s boos and cheers.
Thor Equities Group and its partners — Saratoga Casino Holdings, the Chickasaw Nation and Legends Hospitality Group — are behind the five acre project along Stillwell Avenue, which includes a casino, a 500-room hotel, a convention center and event space, retail and restaurant space, a concert venue, parking and one acre of public space. The Coney is one of eleven contenders vying for one of the three casino licenses that are up for grabs in the greater New York City area.
Opponents argued that the project would change the characteristics of Coney Island, blocking the view of the beach and institutions like Deno’s Wonder Wheel, worsen traffic, hurt local businesses, demolish 90% of Luna Park rides and vendors, bring more crime and exacerbate the gambling addiction crisis.
Adam Rinn, artistic director at the nonprofit arts organization Coney Island USA, told the Brooklyn Eagle he was testifying to “put an end” to the casino, which he described as a “monstrosity and greedy structure.”
“This is by far the worst thing that could happen to this neighborhood,” said Rinn, who fears that Coney Island USA, home to the Coney Island Circus Sideshow, the Freak Bar and the Mermaid Parade, would be “engulfed” by the casino.
“[The casino] will destroy everything that we are as a not-for-profit arts organization,” Rinn said. “As a resident who lives on the eastern end of the district, closer to Ocean Parkway, I don’t want the traffic. I don’t want the crime. I don’t want the drugs. I don’t want anything that’s associated with the casino.”
Midwood resident Yaakov Kaplan is the vice president of Community Board 12. He testified that in 2022, the same year New York legalized online sports betting, calls to the New York State gambling addiction helpline increased by 26%. Kaplan told the Brooklyn Eagle that instead of building economic growth, casinos build tragedies.
“Addiction is a hard enough issue right now,” Kaplan said. “To bring a massive casino here in our neighborhood is a sham that the government’s willing to trade possible tax dollars for the effects of addictions that gambling brings.”
Ahead of the hearing, The Coney announced a $200 million community trust for the Coney Island community if it was granted a gaming license. The trust fund would support local projects like boardwalk improvements, community grants, public art or workforce development. The move was questioned by Community Board 13 member Lucy Mujica Diaz.
“It’s $200 million that you’re placing in a trust. Will you still be giving that money to the community if you do not receive the gambling license? In addition, why have you not given $200 million to the community as of today?” Mujica Diaz asked the consortium representatives in attendance.
28-year-old Bushwick resident Artina Darkly told the Brooklyn Eagle that she’s been coming to Coney Island her entire life and wants new generations of kids to experience the Coney Island she grew up with.
“[Coney Island] still brings joy to people my age, and it’s not something that we’ve ever forgotten. Coney Island is such a staple of New York City, and I feel like we’re losing so much of New York City’s culture,” Darkly said.
However, proponents say The Coney will bring year-round, well-paying jobs to an underserved area with a high unemployment rate where many residents rely on seasonal work. The Coney will give preference to Coney Islanders in the hiring process and provide career training.
Former New York City councilmember Robert Cornegy is a consultant on the Coney Island casino bid. He told the Brooklyn Eagle that his current role was an extension of his work on the city council, where he chaired the NYC Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) Task Force.
The Coney, Cornegy explained, would improve the quality of life for residents on the peninsula by creating $30 per hour union jobs while ensuring that minority-owned businesses are part of the project.
“My role here is to ensure that there’s M/WBE participation and that the community is represented in all phases of the project,” Cornegy said. “The M/WBE participation portion of it, which I get the most excited about, is having small, minority-owned businesses represented in the project, whether it’s on the casino floor, as in restaurants, or whether it’s helping do development.”
For Cornegy, the project is not only about providing low-income residents with upward economic mobility or improving infrastructure; he is also excited about bringing a “world-class” entertainment venue to Coney Island.
“[Coney Island] has been deemed an entertainment district since I was a child and before I was a child. So actually, it’s consistent with what the fabric of Coney Island has been,” Cornegy explained. “Generations of families have come to Coney Island to celebrate and to be entertained. [The Coney] is just an elevated opportunity for that to happen.”
Martin Allen, president of People for Political and Economic Empowerment (PPEE.), an organization that supports young people finding trade jobs, is also a staunch supporter of the project.
Allen was born and raised on the peninsula. He spent almost 30 years in prison and was released in 2000. Allen told the Brooklyn Eagle that the resort would afford young people career opportunities he had been denied as a young person.
“Coney Island’s dying. It’s a cancer. They’re killing each other,” said Allen, whose nephew was killed last week. He pointed out that the casino would train people and set them up for the long-term jobs desperately needed in Coney Island, keeping them off the street and, therefore, decreasing crime.
“Coney is getting an opportunity where people can get trades. They might be managers if they do well enough, but you [have] to give a person the opportunity. There is no opportunity out here right now. These people are dying every day,” Allen said.
Coney Island native and community leader Julia Daniely echoed Cornegy’s and Allen’s sentiments.
“We’ve had issues for a long time,” Daniely said. “Nobody’s given us a solution on how we could get more revenue here. Our kids are hurting. These young people are hurting, so let’s teach them how to make money.”
Daniely countered the argument that a casino would draw crime, “We already have crime. Not too long ago, my nephew was murdered. We go through crime every day. I don’t see the casino being a danger to anybody.”
Community Board 13’s next meeting regarding the public land use over the proposed casino and entertainment resort is on Wednesday, Jan. 15, and a full board vote will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 22.
As noted, at a Community Board 13 hearing on Thursday, Jan. 9, The Coney announced that it will establish a $200 million community trust for the Coney Island community if it is granted a gaming license. A board made up of local voices and stakeholders will be established to help guide where funding will go and the initiatives it will support.
“For too long, Coney Island has been left behind or left out when it comes to community focused investments. I fully support The Coney’s plan to invest $200 million directly into the Coney Island community to strengthen our local infrastructure and fund much-needed projects,” Marie Mirville-Shahzada, founder and executive director of Alfadila Community Services said.
“A community trust is exactly what Coney Island needs to ensure that the needs of locals are put first. I want to thank The Coney for truly putting its money where its mouth is and including this historic level of investment into their RFA proposal,” Jimmy Kokotas, owner of Tom’s Coney Island said. “In addition to much needed infusion of local jobs and the boost to the local economy, the funds from this trust will make a dramatic difference in everything from our boardwalk to our mass transit system.”
Potential uses for the funding, according to include community grants, boardwalk improvements, safety and security, small business technical assistance, improved open spaces and beautification, workforce development and economic mobility, resilience and environmental protection and public art.
“Coney Island is an incredible community, and this $200 million trust will help make it even better for generations to come. Working directly with the community and stakeholders, the trust will include community grants for local organizations, boardwalk improvements, better safety and security, improved open spaces and more,” said Cornegy. “The Coney is going to bring much-needed year-round jobs and economic development to Coney Island, and if we are granted this gaming license, this $200 million trust will supplement that by ensuring all of Coney Island benefits.”
Pat Singer, founder of the Brighton Neighborhood Association, added, “I’ve served on Community Board 13 since 1978, now going into my 47th year. I work and live in Brighton Beach and I love Coney Island. As a child, I rode the Parachute Jump and the Cyclone and fought against the city in the 70s when they threatened to tear them down. I stood with Horace Bullard when he proposed to upgrade our historic amusement park. By approving this project you will open the door to new funding which will raise the quality of life for the people in Coney Island. The Boardwalk for example, has been in disrepair for decades. As they say, ‘money makes the world go around’. By building The Coney, those needed funds will come!”
Previously, The Coney announced it would create 4,000 permanent gaming and hospitality jobs. In addition to the jobs created, there will be a local hiring preference to ensure the community around The Coney would benefit. To promote this, The Coney will actively recruit and hold job fairs within the Coney Island community.
“We are thankful that The Coney has developed a community-first approach to investing in the future of Coney Island with the massive fund it is proposing,” Bryan McKenzie, owner of Coney Island IHOP said. “This community trust is a game-changing opportunity for Coney Island and has the potential to dramatically improve all of our ways of life.”
In addition, The Coney had announced public space on the roof. The public roof is one acre, roughly the size of the central lawn at Bryant Park or Little Island. It will be a free attraction for the public and will help to extend visitation in all seasons. The public rooftop is directly accessible from the street level, so visitors don’t need to walk through the gaming floor. The rooftop further expands the pedestrian realm and family friendly offerings found throughout this project. It is a unique and scenic space overlooking the boardwalk and beach where guests can enjoy a variety of activities.
“When I first heard about The Coney, I was intrigued. I liked the idea of a comprehensive entertainment and gaming destination that would bring tourists and their wallets year-round while also providing needed improvements and living wage job opportunities to my community,” Daniely, former president of Carey Gardens Resident Association, said. “With the news of a new trust — one that includes me and my neighbors determining how and where money gets spent — I’m sold. The Coney will improve so much of what has been lost from Coney Island and I can’t wait to see it succeed.”
On Thursday, Jan. 9, Coney Island locals gathered at the Coney Island YMCA to debate a transformative land use proposal.
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