Thursday, July 02, 2009

City Council Chews And Spits Mayor's Plan Back On The Table

Whether Coney Island’s future will eventually thrive or not from Parkland or private investment there is now time on our hands to push for a better plan.

The City Council met yesterday with the public on a all-day event which dwindled down before most who went to speak actually stuck around for it. The City Council shrugged their shoulders and gasped, “too many unanswered questions and too many concerns.” Since most felt the mayor’s plan came with too many flaws they suggested to slow down the process and take the plan off the clock until it is smoothed out.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle’s Linda Collins wrote reported:

“I believe the best thing to do is to temporarily pull the application from the ULURP clock,” said Zoning Subcommittee Chair Tony Avella, referring to the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, which requires that the council vote by July 29, or by July 13, if it wishes to modify the plan and send it back to the Planning Commission.

“I want to make it clear this is not an attempt to let anybody down in Coney Island but to allow more time for Domenic [Council Member Domenic Recchia, who represents Coney Island] and the council and the property owners and the residents to come up with a better plan,” Avella added.



Council members also questioned and [Seth, president of the Economic Development Corp.] Pinsky confirmed that even if the parkland designation is approved, “until the city owns the property, the zoning does not change, it remains the same.”

And in the event the city exhausts their attempts at property acquisition, the threat of eminent domain worries some of the council members. And that is one of the flaws they see in the plan.

But Pinsky who is for parkland mapping remains positive that the quirks in the plan will be worked out.

Some members like David Yassky, also feels the plan needs to be delayed, but on the other hand believes that Coney Island would do better through the private sector. According to the Brooklyn Dailey Eagle, Yassky said, “ “I share the vision put forward for Coney Island, but I think we do better when we rely on the private sector. I urge you to reconsider and let the private sector do what it does best.”

The plans path after the city council vote is to the state legislator. Yes, many questions remain, though not all necessarily with the plan's parkland issue but how to utilize that parkland to it's best capacity: indoor and outdoor amusements!

In a statement by Borough President, Marty Markowitz, he said he is very concerned with expanding the ground-floor amusements, and hopes that a solution between the Mayor, City Council, and Council Member, Domenic Recchia come to an agreement.


Follow the active discussion on the Coney Island USA board




City’s Coney Island Plan Meets With Council Opposition [Brooklyn Daily Eagle]


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