City Officials Will Work with Industry leaders to Plan Interim and Long Term Amusement Uses and Restore Coney Island as a world Class Destination
New York City, March 31, 2009
Deputy Mayor for Economic Development, Robert C. Lieber, and Premier Rides, Inc. President Jim Seay today announced the Coney Island Amusement Advisory Panel, a group of leading amusement industry experts that will help structure and expedite the City’s plans for interim amusements at Coney Island in Summer 2010. The panel will also assist the City in continued planning efforts for a permanent amusement operation and development of a 27-acre amusement and entertainment district at Coney Island.
“The City’s plan will transform Coney Island into a vibrant and dynamic amusement district that honors its iconic history and creates an exciting new experience for millions of New Yorkers and visitors,” said Deputy Mayor Lieber. “Over the past months, the City has been working to develop an interim plan to ensure continuing summer fun and thrills at Coney Island. This panel formalizes our relationship with the leading industry experts and operators who will not only help us develop an exciting and dynamic interim amusement area for the summer of 2010 and summers to come, but also a financially feasible amusement plan for a year-round entertainment and amusement district which will capture and continue the magic and iconic legacy of Coney Island.”
New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and the Coney Island Development Corporation (CIDC) will convene the Coney Island Amusement Advisory Panel with professionals who represent a diverse cross-section of the industry. The Panel will be chaired by Jim Seay, a 20-year veteran of the industry and President of Premier Rides, Inc. Sessions will be structured around general themes that will consider project scope, site opportunities and constraints, and planning for 2010 and beyond. Among the priorities will be maintaining Coney Island’s unique and eclectic urban amusement character. The sessions will be moderated by Jack Rouse, CEO of Jack Rouse Associates, a preeminent entertainment design studio credited with developing hundreds of amusement parks, museums, and entertainment projects around the world, with support from Perkins + Will, a leading architecture and planning firm with expertise in branded environments.
In joining the panel, the Municipal Art Society, a leading advocacy and civic education organization, recognized that the City is the sole entity that can succeed in creating an exciting and viable amusement district at Coney Island. While the organization maintains a different perspective on certain aspects of the rezoning plan for the amusement district, it recognizes the urgency for this Plan to successfully move through the process.
“We’re pleased to be asked by the city to participate on this panel of esteemed industry experts,” said Vin Cipolla, President, Municipal Art Society. “MAS spearheaded a major planning and economic feasibility study for Coney, and we’re eager to bring all of that thinking to the table directly with the city. We applaud the city for bringing together a broad range of voices to help shape the future of this iconic neighborhood. Only the city can create a great and sustainable amusements destination in Coney Island.”
Members of the Coney Island Amusement Advisory Panel include: Chip Cleary, Senior VP, Palace Entertainment and First Vice Chair, IAAPA Executive Board; Jim Pattison, President, Ripley Entertainment, Inc.; Tony Catanoso, President & CEO, Atlantic City Steel Pier; Nikki Nolan, Executive VP & Managing Director of International, Great Wolf Resorts; David Rockwell, Founder and CEO, Rockwell Group; Valerio Ferrari, President & CEO, Zamperla USA; Kieran E. Burke, former Chairman and CEO of Six Flags, Inc.; Vin Cipolla, President, MAS. The Panel was developed as a result of meetings between the City and developers, operators, planning and design consultants, ride manufacturers and executives in the amusement industry that have occurred since the largest international trade show for the amusements and attractions industry, IAAPA, in November.
“It is an honor to chair a panel that that includes so much experience and talent with respect to the amusement industry,” said Jim Seay, President of Premier Rides, Inc. “Being someone who grew up very close to Coney Island, and who as a child gained a lifetime of memories from visiting the world famous location, I am excited to be a part of New York City’s historic and critically important effort to restore the magic to this storied destination.”
“By engaging experts in the private sector with a proven track record of operating and developing amusements, we will be better-equipped to issue a future Request for Proposals for permanent amusements, and, more immediately, to develop a plan for interim amusements so that Coney Island remains the vibrant playground that it has been for generations,” said NYCEDC President, Seth W. Pinsky.
"The amusements are at the heart of the Coney experience. The City's rezoning proposal sets the framework for the long term preservation and expansion of the amusements in Coney Island. This important panel of amusement experts will not only assist the city in crafting and implementing a exciting plan to bring back summer rides and attractions in 2010 and thereafter, but their expertise will also play a key role in developing a strategy to return Coney Island to its historic place as the most unique beachfront urban amusement destination in the world,” said City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden.
The City’s plan for Coney Island will generate more than 25,000 construction jobs and 6,000 permanent jobs in industries including amusements, tourism, retail, restaurants and hospitality. At total build out, the project will create 500,000 SF of retail & neighborhood services to support a growing and underserved residential community and 5,000 new units of housing, with approximately 900 affordable units through the City’s first use of the Inclusionary Zoning Program in South Brooklyn.
About NYCEDC
New York City Economic Development Corporation is the City’s primary vehicle for promoting economic growth in each of the five boroughs. NYCEDC’s mission is to stimulate growth through expansion and redevelopment programs that encourage investment, generate prosperity and strengthen the City’s competitive position. NYCEDC serves as an advocate to the business community by building relationships with companies that allow them to take advantage of New York City’s many opportunities.
