I don't think I totally get the critique here. There is still tons of undeveloped space down at Coney Island. I don't see how or why the stadium precludes developing more great things down there or enhancing the existing amusements. If it's a question of subsidies, sure, the subsidies could have been used for something else. But everything was in place for the stadium and the 'Clones so why not go for it? I think a stadium is a really perfect land-use for CI. In fact, I think you could even put the Nets arena down there too. After games end the MTA could queue up 20 trains in the new terminal and zip people out of there super-fast and car-free. That's something you can do in a terminal but can't do in a regular station very easily. As for the usage only being 40-days a year -- hey, Coney Island is a 5-month a year proposition as is. And weekdays aren't all that busy quite often. Last time I was down there we snuck into the stadium and watched a high school game. It was great that the kids were able to play there and that we were able to watch them. And those 'Clones games are way more fun than big league games. But I'm a baseball fan. I really enjoy that park. Though the best thing of all down on CI is Totonno's Pizza. Oh my god. You been there? It's the best. As long as new development doensn't screw up their 900 degree steel oven, I'm OK with it.

By aaron, at 6/07/2005 7:35 PM  

Now that they restored service to Stillwell Avenue on the N train, you're right about the train queue possibility. I was worried for a while after they curtailed all but one line to Coney Island that it was a backdoor way of eliminating service.

By AD, at 6/07/2005 11:17 PM  

aaron,

it is not a question of the stadium precluding development. it is a question of what you could have done with the funds that were devoted to the stadium and of what you could have done with the land on which it sits. the original plan for the site was an amusement park that would have encompassed not only the steeplechase lot but several lots around it. when that plan started floundering, some local officials began promoting the idea of building a "sportsplex" arena on the site. roughly around the same time, however, giuliani decided that he was going to reward his political ally, molinari, by helping him get the minor league stadium he had always wanted in staten island. it could have ended there. but since molinari and giuliani had their hearts set on a yankees franchise, the city had to offer something to the mets so that they wouldn't veto the introduction of an affiliated franchise within their territory. they offered the mets a stadium in coney island. at that point, it became a game of which franchise could get more concessions from the city. eventually, an unfavorable lease was offered to the mets for keyspan park (it's hard to negotiate favorable terms when you don't hold a proper bidding process), and coney island ended up with a tenant that has been a less than cooperative neighbor to the rest of the amusement district. so it's not like the stadium and the cyclones were in place. they were put in place. unwisely.

i agree that the stadium is an appropriate use for the area. i also think that it's a beautiful park and that its games are fun. but the stadium and the "plan" that surrounded it were justified in terms of economic development. the absurdity of those arguments have been borne out by the lack of investment in the area since the park opened its gates. if the city had wanted to help the area back then, it should have skipped the stadium and dedicated those funds entirely to infrastructure, programming, and existing uses. the reason why the CIDC is putting together such a plan now is because the stadium did not have the impact that the city forecast when it was trying to sell the project.

a preferable strategy would have been to first address what would happen in the vacant blocks that sit between the steeplechase park lot and existing amusement uses, and then decide on a complementary use for the lot. the CIDC is now working on establishing a few of the connections that the stadium plan would otherwise preclude. it is proposing, for instance, moving the seldom-used, chicken-wired community sports field on the south side of the park to another location and replacing it with a plaza. this is smart move, since that field would have disrupted the continuity of any future boardwalk development. no such mitigation would have been necessary had the vacancy problem been addressed before committing to a project-- a project that, however appropriate, entails infrequent enclosed events of the sort that are not exactly designed to enliven surrounding street-life.

we can agree on this, though, totonno's does make a fine pie.

j

By juan rivero, at 6/09/2005 12:13 AM  

Testing, testing . . .

By AD, at 6/09/2005 8:56 PM