CONEY ISLAND — The rezoning of Coney Island has been certified by the Department of City Planning (DCP) and now begins its public approval process or ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure). That process begins this week in Coney Island with a 60-day review by Brooklyn Community Board 13, after which it will go to the Borough President’s office (30 days), the Planning Commission (60 days) and the City Council (50 days).

Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden made the announcement yesterday declaring that the comprehensive rezoning plan will “re-establish Coney Island as a world renowned year-round beachfront urban amusement and entertainment destination.�

The 19-block rezoning (Coney East) will create an open and accessible 27-acre indoor and outdoor amusement and entertainment district stretching along the famed boardwalk from the Parachute Jump to the New York Aquarium.

The district includes a 12-acre boardwalk amusement park area which will be mapped as parkland in order to enable the city to control, expand on and preserve amusement uses in perpetuity.

Under the proposed rezoning, an estimated 1.1 million square feet of amusement and entertainment-related uses and 800 hotels rooms could be developed in the district, creating job opportunities that will last beyond the summer season.

New entertainment and amusement uses could include innovative indoor and outdoor rides, dark rides, virtual reality, water parks, IMAX theaters, circuses, performance venues, roller rinks and all varieties of restaurants and catering facilities.

Outside the amusement and entertainment area, the rezoning would catalyze redevelopment of vacant and underutilized land for mixed income housing, neighborhood retail and services that the Coney Island community has lacked for decades, as well as additional year-round job opportunities.

The 4,500 new units of new housing, North of Surf Avenue (Coney North) and West of Keyspan Park (Coney West), would leverage an estimated 900 units of affordable housing. In addition, in these areas, the rezoning would pave the way for roughly 500,000 square feet of neighborhood retail and the creation of a 1.4-acre neighborhood boardwalk park.

This plan is the culmination of an interagency four-year planning effort led by the DCP and the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) that has engaged residents and stakeholders from Coney Island and beyond during more than 300 meetings since the release of the Coney Island Strategic Plan by Mayor Bloomberg in 2005, according to Burden.

“Our number-one goal is ensuring that future generations can enjoy Coney Island as the world’s most unique urban amusement destination,� she said.

Said EDC President Seth Pinsky, “Certification into the public approval process is a crucial first step towards the rebirth of this iconic New York City neighborhood. Our plan will create a thriving, year-round destination free from the whims of the commercial real estate market, while improving basic infrastructure, providing expanded neighborhood retail and offering new and improved housing opportunities.�

The current C7 amusement zoning is highly restrictive and has prevented new, investment in complimentary year-round uses, according to Burden.

“This once vibrant area is now nearly devoid of economic activity once the summer amusement season is over,� she said.

For specifics of the zoning proposal, please visit www.nyc.gov/dcp. — Linda Collins

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