Coney Island artists concerned about controversial casino proposal
A New York City arts nonprofit says it's worried about the future if a controversial plan to build a casino in Coney Island moves forward.
Coney Island Mermaid Parade could be jeopardized if casino is built, organizers say
Artists with Coney Island USA, the arts nonprofit responsible for the summertime celebration and a variety of year-round beachside programs, are preparing to hold a mock funeral Saturday for one of their time-honored traditions: the iconic Mermaid Parade.
Adam Rinn, the nonprofit's artistic director, says if developers have their way, the futures of both the parade and the organization are in jeopardy.
"Our building is literally going to be surrounded by pallets of cinder blocks, by trucks, by chain link fences, by porta-potties. Who's going to come into our business for upwards of four years when this construction is going on to support us?" Rinn said.
He's talking about the proposal to bring The Coney, a massive casino, hotel and entertainment venue to the area. It's one of the locations being evaluated for three downstate casino licenses to be awarded by the New York State Gaming Commission later this year.
Casino would offer opportunity to invest in neighborhood, developers say
Robert Cornegy, a spokesperson for The Coney, said the development seeks to support artists.
"We have a $200 million fund that is for the community to access and to use in the way that it sees fit. If the Mermaid Parade is one of those ways, then certainly we'd be in support of that," he said.
He argues that it would be an opportunity to invest in the neighborhood and to use funding to address longtime concerns like storm resiliency and boardwalk improvements. He also says it will bring thousands of union jobs.
"Access to employment in this peninsula has been incredibly rare and scarce. The unemployment numbers are always higher in Coney Island than not only to the national average, but the city and state average," Cornegy said.
Rinn doesn't believe that's the right argument.
"Isn't it the city's job to invest in neighborhoods?" he asked CBS News New York's Hannah Kliger. "Why is it a private developer's job to cover infrastructure in a neighborhood? To me, that's just a bad deal."
The Coney casino license bid continues despite community division
Part of the proposal includes demapping several local streets to build the combined 1.3 million square foot development surrounding Coney Island USA's landmarked century-old headquarters.
The building itself is protected and will remain but everything around it would have to be demolished. Community Board 13 did not approve the land use application, although the vote is considered advisory. Now the Brooklyn Borough President has one month to review the matter.
"It would literally engulf our entire building," Rinn said of the street changes. "We've not seen any kind of studies that talk about pile driving and what that would do to the structural integrity of this building."
Regardless of what happens during the Universal Land Use Review Procedure to change the streets, developers with The Coney continue their bid for the casino license, even if they have to amend its footprint.
"I think there's a misconception that we're going to replace small businesses. No, we're going to work hand in hand and actually drive our customer base back out into the community," Cornegy said.
It's a sore subject for local dad Kouichi Shirayanagi, who started an organization called Coney Islanders Against the Casino.
"Casinos don't build. They take away from the economic vitality of a place. Because when people spend their money in a casino, they're not spending their money on local retail," he said.
Developers claim their plan has community support among locals.
Artists at Coney Island USA, though, hope the casino license does not go through so their mock mermaid memorial doesn't become a real one.
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