BK Southie » Zamperla

Boardwalk icons could be back for this summer

Posted by Nick at 1:26 pm Coney Island

Feb 162011

Currently there are negotiations that Coney Island Boardwalk icons could be back for this summer. Word is that Ruby’s, Beer Island, Paul’s Daughter, the Grill House, Cha Cha’s, Gyro Corner and Coney Island Souvenirs would be able to return this summer if they don’t fight Zamperla for a new lease after summer ends. The legal fighting over the winter dragged out and prevented Zamperla from adding new businesses that they wanted in these spots. Zamperla has been fined for illegally “bulldozing” the Shoot the Freak game, which is where they want to use the space for an entrance to its new amusement park called Scream Zone. For the past few years businesses on the famous Coney Island boardwalk have been fighting for one more summer.

Coney Island: order against Shoot The Freak demolition

Posted by Brian Hedden at 10:30 am Coney Island, Real Estate

Jan 032011

The efforts of Zamperla/Central Amusements International to remake the Boardwalk in their own, faux-Victorian image took a hit from the City government last week.

THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS – The city slapped amusement giant Zamperla with a $5,000 fine Thursday for illegally razing Coney Island’s Shoot the Freak.

The company tore down the Boardwalk game and boarded up the property last week without a permit, Buildings Department officials said.

The city issued a stop-work order to bar further demolition.

Shoot the Freak is one of nine Boardwalk businesses that Zamperla is trying to boot to make way for glitzier attractions.

The eviction battle is still pending in court.

I’ve said this before – I don’t have a great deal of sympathy the amusement advocacy organization Save Coney Island in this fight – they had all year to lobby Zamperla to keep more of the Boardwalk businesses, but they seem to have been caught up in the excitement of the Luna Park opening, along with pursing their long-lost battle against Joe Sitt’s demolition of his remaining property. And if I had to choose only one business to replace, it would probably be Shoot The Freak. Sorry – just not a fan.

But this demolition seems really sketchy to me. I’m not sure if it’s different in commercial buildings, but in residential law, it’s extremely difficult to evict tenants who don’t want to leave. It takes several months, and several trips to court to pull it off. It sometimes seems as arduous as the process for firing a tenured NYC teacher.

So even if Zamperla ultimately wins this battle in court, there’s no reason to think they’ll do so before the spring. Not sure what possessed them to go ahead and just demolish one of the businesses in advance of the court date.

Around South Blogistan – Nov. 8, 2010

Posted by Brian Hedden at 7:00 am Blogwrap

Nov 082010

Video of last week’s meeting of the Gerritsen Beach Property Owners Association meeting taken by Sheepshead Bites. In case you were wondering, taking video during the public segment of these meetings is totally OK. That was covered at a shitshow earlier in the year.

It was, ahem, a busy and interesting week in South Blogistan.

Please remember we’re starting our Facebook page over from scratch. It’s emotionally needy and perceives its self-worth when other people Like it. Which sums up Facebook, in a nutshell.
So, Gerritsen Beach, what did you do on Halloween? Have a little wholesome fun? Go out in large, family-friendly packs of fun and deplete the New Section of its candy stores? Or did you throw eggs and rocks at the B31 and brag about it on Facebook? Of course, anyone who has followed two or more meetings of the Gerritsen Beach Property Owners Association knows that there’s nothing they hate more than self-outing teenage punk-ass thugs bloggers who publish photos of self-outing teenage punk-ass thugs on the Web (which, as pointed out, is World Wide). Because if he’s taking pictures of children in public spaces committing crimes, he must be a pedophile. Obviously! (GerritsenBeach.net, Sheepshead Bites, Gothamist)
This past Saturday was the rally at Ruby’s Bar & Grill – very likely its last day ever – to save itself and eight other Boardwalk businesses from eviction at the hands of Luna Park operator Central Amusements International (Zamperla). It sure was a dick move on CAI’s part early this year to encourage the Boardwalk 11 to invest serious cash into their business – Ruby’s dropped $40,000 just by themselves – without giving them lease guarantees. But I warned a few weeks ago against obsessing over battles with Thor Equities that had already been lost by amusement advocates, and specifically cited the threat of wholesale change on the Boardwalk by companies not named Thor Equities. Glad to see everybody listened to me! (Amusing The Zillion, Gothamist)
There was a Marathon in New York yesterday, didn’tcha hear? There was a Chilean miner and everything. One or two people got some pretty good pictures. (Bay Ridge Blog, Beehive Hairdresser, Bay Ridge Journal)
Speaking of the Marathon, the race director seems to think “that Fourth Avenue in Bay Ridge was catching up with First Avenue in Manhattan for crowd support,” as if it is some sort of surprise. (NY Times)

Changing Coney …again ?

Posted by Nick at 12:18 pm Coney Island

Aug 162010

Local businesses can’t get a break. Property flipping Joe Shitt of Thor Equities had bought acres of Coney Island property and had people believing of new malls, hotels and amusement rides. He only accomplished tearing down areas like the batting cages and the closing of the institution Astroland. Now Zamperla, the Italian amusement company that opened the new Luna Park in May, is asking locate business to prove that they still belong in Coney Island but submitting business models and marketing plans. Zamperla plans to let all the leases expire in October and may bring in Shake Shack and Atomic Wings. Will it go dark popular Ruby’s Bar, Cha Cha’s and Shoot the Freak?

2010: The Year We Made Coney Awesome Again

Posted by Brian Hedden at 7:00 am Coney Island

Feb 172010

Saturday, May 29 – circle it on your calendars, write a note in your day planner, create a new all day event in your BlackBerry. It’s the start of Memorial Day Weekend 2010, which is shaping up to be Coney Island’s biggest opening day since Fred Trump demoed Steeplechase.

Yesterday, the Mayor’s office officially announced that the Italian ride manufacturer Zamperla – or more accurately, its park-operating affiliate, Central Amusements International – will bring 19 new rides to “Luna Park at Coney Island” this summer, with four more “Scream Zone” rides in 2011. The first 19 will include the international debut of the Air Race, and the Final Four will include two custom rollercoasters and a human slingshot.

Zamperla and CAI are known for giving their rides at Central Park’s Victorian Gardens a Victorian look. Judging by the renderings released yesterday, it looks like they plan to hold true to the original Luna Park.

Coney Island USA founder Dick Zigun reported back to CIUSA’s message board that Zamperla will also “rehab and reopen the AstroTower,” and the Coney Island History Project’s Tricia reveals that the Wonder Wheel is being fitted with solar panels to power a recreation of the 1920s lighting scheme on the swinging cars.

Unless you’re Gene Kelly, please kindly refrain from any rain dances between now and then.

The pardon application for Brooklyn’s chief turkey…

Posted by Brian Hedden at 8:11 am Blogwrap

Nov 262009

…was sadly rejected by the President.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Here’s the long-overdue, day-early Friday wrap:

Amusements of America, Astroland, and Zamperla supposedly have the lead out of Turn One in the crowded Coney Island Derby. Alliances and dark horses may yet emerge. I remain skeptical of the Astroland bid, but considerably less so after reading Tricia’s take on Carol Albert’s vision. (Amusing The Zillion)
I’ve been down Emmons Avenue exactly twice, but even I instantly recognized the plaza where the XO Creperie suffered a Saturday morning blaze. (Sheepshead Bites)
It’s Hate Week for the DOT. Gerritsen Beach is up in arms over major changes to Gerritsen Avenue, partly in light of a recent school bus crash, but mostly because the changes suck. A lot. Meanwhile, Dyker Heights residents at a Marty Golden town hall voice concern over speedsters in some parts of the neighborhood, traffic jams in others, and are pressing the DOT for a comprehensive solution. (GerritsenBeach.net, Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
The new Carmine Carro Community Center in Marine Park – accommodates groups of any size, runs on solar power and geothermal energy, feeds senior citizens… it’s the Swiss Army knife of community centers. (MarineParker.net)
A violent mugging in Bath Beach, unusually so according to the police commander. The victim lost $600 AND got shot in the leg. (YourNabe.com)
The police in Sunset Park reach out to homes to tackle gang violence, while a community board in Bay Ridge rails against curb cuts. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
When they built the elevated subways, they failed to consider truckers with a low aptitude for “Low Clearance” signs. I blame Robert Moses. (Sheepshead Bites)