A $1.5 Billion Vision For Coney Island

The NY Sun has an article on the planned “reinvigoration” of Coney Island. Let the sparring begin, [Via Gothamist]

New designs drawn up by the architectural firm Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn depict Thor’s futuristic vision. A new roller coaster would dart in and out of new buildings along Stillwell Avenue, the first roller coaster in New York City since the Cyclone opened in 1927, according to the developer. Opposite the subway station, Thor is planning a vertical ride to the top of a 150-foot-high water tower that would be decorated with flickering holograms of whales and mermaids.
Where Stillwell Avenue meets the boardwalk, the developer wants to build a giant indoor water park and a three-story, glass-enclosed carousel. All the rides would be winterized. They would also be integrated with a movie theater, arcades, retail stores, and with existing attractions, like the Cyclone, the Wonder Wheel, and the Parachute Drop. Thor Equities would lease out the rides or find an operating partner to run the amusements.
The plan has a catch. Thor says it needs the city to enact a zoning change to allow residential and hotel development in the amusement district. Thor wants to build as many as four towers on its site, comprising two hotels, a time-share, and an apartment building that could rise up to 40 stories….
While some critics have said Thor’s designs are too glitzy, Mr. Zigun envisions something like Las Vegas, Miami Beach, Orlando, Fla., and Atlantic City, N.J., jazzy, modern, and fantastical, as opposed to a “suburban glass fa√ßade,” or an area dominated by mall-like retail stores. Thor changed earlier plans for a mall after residents and city officials complained.
The project architect, Stanton Eckstut, said the design would not be a replica of old-fashioned Coney Island style.
“We don’t want to do something based on a frozen moment in time,” he said. “We want to make it feel like part of the evolution of Coney’s past, but we are not doing a historic reproduction.”