For decades, Brooklynites have grown accustomed to being dazzled by pie-in-the-sky drawings heralded as Coney Island’s second coming, only to be disappointed when they collect dust along with the others. Lola Staar entrepreneur Dianna Carlin’s dream of installing a seaside temporary roller rink didn’t make such ambitious claims, but does promise to add some pizzazz to a place that’s changed little over the years besides the occasional clearing of another lot.
In a recent conversation with Carlin about an upcoming red carpet party to “save Coney Island,” she told the Eagle details are being finalized to install a temporary roller rink near the boardwalk. She double promised her partners she wouldn’t divulge their names or the location until the big announcement, expected within the next few weeks. But it’s totally going to happen.
The surface would either be paved or portable, like a massive roll of linoleum similar to what the Gotham Girls Roller Derby team has been using since the city’s last roller rink shut down. Now, they don’t have to lug it around with them everywhere (one Derby girl said it takes three hours to set up), they can come to Coney Island. While not “the most fantastic roller skating surface on Earth,” the rink would likely make up for irregularities with kitsch. The closest interior design reference to the hot pink boardwalk boutique Lola Staar would probably be Yaffa’s in the East Village, but with brighter colors.
The “Save Coney Island” event is planned this Saturday at Southpaw in Park Slope, 125 Fifth Ave. between Sterling and St. Johns. Burlesque dancers and hot rodders will be on hand, helping to promote awareness of the city’s (controversial) plan to convert a portion of Coney Island into a park, leased to a single amusement operator. Borough President Marty Markowitz and Coney Island Development Corporation President Lynn Kelly are expected on the red carpet. Dance party DJs, burlesque performances and “never-before seen slide shows” await inside.
Jasper Goldman, senior policy analyst for the Municipal Art Society, offered in a recent newsletter some suggestions about how the city could improve its Coney Island plan ď‚ľ one of which includes broadening its plan beyond the 19 blocks near the boardwalk to include developing the expansive railyards along Stillwell Avenue.
In addition, he said Coney Island must be treated as “a genuinely regional destination … The city should explore ways of achieving this, including: different ratios of indoor and outdoor activities; expanding the entertainment district to encompass the area west of KeySpan Park known as “Coney Island West;” and reducing the amount of housing adjacent to the amusement district. As important as these is the need for new and rapid mass transit connections, notably express subways and ferries, to make Coney Island more easily accessible.” Third, he said the city should create an interim plan to ensure Coney Island remains a destination during the development phase, which could take decades. “Current amusement uses, particularly Astroland, should be retained for as long as possible, and the city should program exciting temporary uses like food and antique markets, music and performance spaces, and art installations for the vacant sites along the boardwalk.”
Last year saw the highest number of building permits for privately-owned residential units in the city since 1972, according to newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau. With 31,918 units permitted citywide last year, it was the second highest total since the city first began to keep accurate records in 1965. Brooklyn and Queens had their highest ever years, according to a city press release. Last year was the third year in a row with over 30,000 units permitted — the first time that this has happened since records began being kept— while the six years that Mayor Bloomberg has been in office represent the highest six-year total ever, with 159,370 units permitted.
— Compiled by Sarah Ryley
© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2007
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Just a reminder, though -- It’s not considered polite to paste the entire story on your blog. Most blogs post a summary or the first paragraph,( 40 words) then post a link to the rest of the story. That helps increase click-throughs for everyone, and minimizes copyright issues.
So please keep posting, but not the entire article. arturc at att.net
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