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Posts Tagged ‘Coney Island Boardwalk’

Nov 1: Auction Sale at Cha Cha’s, 4 Others on Coney Island Boardwalk

Posted in Auction, Food & Drink, Redevelopment, tagged Cha-Cha's, Coney Island Boardwalk on October 30, 2011 | 2 Comments »

Cha Cha's Bar on the Boardwalk in Coney Island. June 1, 2009. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i

Sunday afternoon’s party at Cha Cha’s with Killer Joe will be the last hurrah for the Home of Wild Women and Wise Guys on the Coney Island Boardwalk. On Tuesday, November 1st, the contents of Cha Cha’s — restaurant equipment, fixtures and memorabilia, including a quantity of neon signs– will be auctioned off. The public sale will be at the bar, located at 1229 Boardwalk near Stillwell. If you’d love to have a piece of signage or other keepsake from Cha Cha’s, be there by 2:00 pm, when the auction begins.

According to an ad for the auction in today’s New York Times, the sale includes “5 Coney Island Restaurants, Bars/Snack Bars” and contains “a tremendous quantity of memorabilia!!!!” Auctioneer Vinny Casale told ATZ that the auction’s five locations include Cha Cha’s on the Boardwalk and neighboring bars and restaurants as well as the Coney Island Souvenir Shop. “There is an upright player piano marked William Knabe & Co. from the 1920s that comes with piano rolls,” he said of the items for sale at Cha Cha’s. “There are a lot of neon signs.” Some of the other restaurants are selling off old equipment and furniture which will no longer be needed, regardless of whether they are closing or have hopes of returning to the new, rehabbed Boardwalk or another location next year.

Steve's Grill House, Coney Island Boardwalk. October 31, 2010. Photo © me-myself-i/Tricia Vita via flickr

Sources tell ATZ that Cha Cha’s, Beer Island, Gyro Corner and Coney Island Souvenir Shop were not offered new leases for the Boardwalk by Zamperla USA. Gyro has already moved signage and equipment to their Bowery location. The last we heard from “the Coney Island Rumor Mill,” Ruby’s Bar and Paul’s Daughter were in negotiations for multi-year leases and it was not a done deal. Although November 4th is the final date by which the Boardwalk businesses are required to vacate the premises, the deadline was said to have been extended through November 14 for the businesses offered leases and with whom negotiations were in progress. Steve’s Grill House, located at the corner of Stillwell Avenue, was reportedly offered the space adjacent to his restaurant, where the Tacos and Tortas stand is located. The Tacos restaurant is relocating to Neptune Avenue between Stillwell and 15th Street. They leased the store formerly occupied by Classic Heros, which closed last year.

Cha Cha’s Closing Party featuring Killer Joe and Vinny “Big Pussy” Pastore of The Sopranos starts at 3pm on Sunday, October 30. Ruby’s “Final Closing Party” begins at 12 noon. The date was changed to Sunday because of yesterday’s weather. Paul’s Daughter is expected to be open as well.

The advertisement for the November 1st auction lists the following items:

icecream, memorabilia, Coldlite C/T Ice cream machines, 3- Flavor margarita machines, Batch Freezers, Lab 100B & 500, 5- Ice machines, ! & 4 direct beer taps, Curved glass gelato cases, ! & 2 Glass dr refrigerators, 1 & 2 S/S Dr Refrigerators, Flat top grills, Hot Dog Cart, Coffee machines,& Grinders, Funnel cake cart, Chest & Upright Freezers, C/T Pizza Ovens, 4- Ice-Cream Dip Boxes, Deep Fryer & Hood Combo, 8-camera system, ADS Pass thru D/W, lg Screen TVS, Ship Chandeliers, Brass Glass Racks, Glass Sneezeguards, 10-Cash registers.

Complete Build A Bear Machine originally costing $5k with bears & stuffing, 75 neon signs, pretzel & popcorn machines, smoke machines, sheet pan racks, bar stools, 60 chairs, 15 tables, 4 glass lighted showcases, 500 Coney Island sweatshirts & t-shirts, Novelty items, So many more items too many too list. call auctioneer for more info

The sale is being held by Best Buy Auctioneers in conjunction with Vincent Casale Auctioneers.

Last year on November 1st, nine Boardwalk businesses received “surrender the premises” letters from Zamperla USA, the operator of Luna Park (“Out With the Old in Coney Island: Only 2 of 11 Boardwalk Businesses Invited Back,” ATZ, Nov 1, 2010). Eight of the businesses banded together to fight the eviction from the City-owned property on the Boardwalk leased to Zamperla. Seven won a one-year lease, which expires on November 1, 2011.

Coney Island Souvenir Shop on the Boardwalk. Photo © Tricia Vita//me-myself-i via flickr

Rolling Sign: Coney Island Souvenir Shop on the Boardwalk. April 21, 2010.Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Coney Island 2012: Go Karts Return, Concretewalk Stopped

Posted in amusement park, Amusement ride, Redevelopment, tagged Coney Island 2012, Coney Island Boardwalk, go karts, Stillwell Avenue, water ride, Zamperla on October 25, 2011 | 4 Comments »

Before Thor: International Speedway on Stillwell. Photo via coneyislandbattingrange.com

Before Thor: The International Speedway at Go Kart City on Stillwell Avenue. Photo via coneyislandbattingrange.com

While we wait to hear if any of the “Boardwalk 7″ Mom and Pops will win multi-year leases instead of being booted out, it’s a pleasure to be able to report some good news: Go Karts will make a comeback on Stillwell Avenue in 2012 and the Coney Island Concretewalk was stopped.

Sources tell ATZ that Zamperla, which operates Coney Island’s Luna Park and Scream Zone, has filed plans to put Go Karts and a water ride on Stillwell Avenue across from their thrill park. While we have yet to get a peek at Zamperla’s design for the new track, there’s been talk of a double decker. If you’re not sure what that might look like, check out this video of a state-of-the-art multilevel track at Fun Spot in Orlando.

Although Zamperla does not currently manufacture go karts, the ride played a role in the company’s history, according to bio notes for IAAPA Hall Of Famer and company founder Antonio Zamperla. In the early 1960s, Antonio Zamperla sold one of his first ride designs, a motorized go-kart, to Bertazzon before establishing his own manufacturing facility a few years later.

Go Karts were a popular attraction in Coney Island until Thor Equities bought the property leased by Batting Range and Go Kart City in 2006. When the International Speedway Go-Kart track was bulldozed on the orders of Thor CEO Joe Sitt in March 2007, it was widely viewed as a tactic to pressure the City to rezone for high rise condos in the amusement area. The New York Times said it “harked back to the bad old days of empty lots,” the Brooklyn Paper said “Coney Island looks like a bomb hit it,” and Amos Wengler wrote his protest anthem “Save Coney Island.” Since then a number of different amusement operators have tried to lease Thor’s Stillwell property to put in Go Karts, but they failed to come to an agreement on lease terms.

Billed as “The Largest Go Kart Track in New York City,” Norman Kaufman’s International Raceway cost $6.00 for ten laps and had two-seaters for parents and kids to ride together. People still come by asking for the Go Karts, so the fact that this popular ride is making a comeback is good news for Coney Island.

Quad Helix Go Kart Track at Fun Spot in Orlando: Over 1,600 feet, 4 corkscrews, overpasses, underpasses, 25 degree banked descending curve

As for the water ride, the Coney Island Rumor Mill is speculating that the Reverchon flume will be moved from Luna Park to free up space for more new rides in the park. Zamperla’s Aqua Division also manufactures family-oriented water rides like the Hydro Lift and Hydro Racer. We wouldn’t mind seeing some Bumper Boats, which were our favorite at Kaufman’s park. The new rides will be on “Parcel C,” the City’s third Boardwalk lot leased to Zamperla in a ten-year deal. The three Boardwalk parcels were purchased from Thor Equities for $95.7 million in 2009.

Currently “Parcel C” is occupied by Steve’s Grill House, Beer Island and an empty lot where Vidbel Circus briefly pitched their tent this summer. Steve built his restaurant on the site after Stauch’s Baths and Dance Hall (1930-1998) was demolished. Beer Island was created in 2008 on the former site of Norman Kaufman’s miniature golf course. Will the businesses be offered new leases and new locations? Will the City’s Coney Island Development Corporation adhere to its goal of “encourag[ing] the development and retention of existing businesses”? Sources tell ATZ that Zamperla is expected to make an official announcement about the new rides next month.

More good news for Coney Island: Yesterday, the City’s Public Design Commission put a temporary stop to the Parks Department’s plan to pave all but four blocks of the 2.7 mile Boardwalk with concrete and plastic wood. You can watch the testimony on NY1′s video report. “I think that it’s great that the Design Commission has come to the conclusion that more environmental and engineering studies are required before this project goes forward,” says Todd Dobrin of Friends of the Boardwalk in the video. Kudos to the PDC Commissioners and to Friends of the Boardwalk and the Coney Brighton Boardwalk Alliance.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, it was only a temporary reprieve. In March, a ten-foot-wide Concrete Lane for so-called “emergency vehicles” and an adjoining Plasticwalk were unanimously approved by the Public Design Commission for a pilot project in Brighton Beach. Advocacy groups and local residents sued the Parks Department and the Boardwalk will get its day in court on October 4, 2012.

Parcels A, B & C. Credit: Coney Island Development Corporation

Parcels A, B & C are City-Owned Property Leased To Zamperla USA/CAI. Parcel A is Luna Park. Parcel B is Scream Zone. Credit: Coney Island Development Corporation

Oct 24, 10:30 am: Last Chance to Stop Coney Island Concretewalk?

Posted in Redevelopment, tagged Boardwalk, Brighton Beach, Coney Island Boardwalk, Coney-Brighton Boardwalk Alliance, Friends of the Boardwalk, Public Design Commission on October 23, 2011 | 2 Comments »

Coney Island’s world-famous, 2.7-mile Boardwalk is listed among America’s Best Beach Boardwalks by the travel editors at National Geographic, Travel + Leisure and USA Today. Will it qualify for this honor if only four blocks in the amusement area remain wood and the rest is paved with concrete and plastic wood? A Parks Department spokeswoman told Brooklyn’s Courier News that concrete was chosen because it’s about $40 per foot cheaper than real wood.

The Bloomberg administration’s plan to pave the Coney Island Boardwalk will be voted on by the City’s Public Design Commission. A friend forwarded the info that the PDC hearing is at 10:30 am on Monday, October 24th. It is recommended that you get there at 10 am to sign in. “Please bring others if you can as this is our best chance to defeat this,” writes Rob Burstein of the Coney-Brighton Boardwalk Alliance. The local Community Board voted 21 to 7 against the plan in May, but their vote was ignored because New York City’s CBs are advisory boards.

News stories about the Boardwalk redo gave the impression that the Public Design Commission vote was a foregone conclusion, possibly because the members are all Mayoral appointees. However, after reading the letter from Burstein and Friends of the Boardwalk’s Todd Dobrin, we took a closer look at the Design Commission. “The Gatekeepers,” a report in the Architect’s Newspaper, described the PDC as “little known to the public and a mystery even to many architects.” Commission members are a distinguished group including architects, artists and representatives of the Brooklyn Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New York Public Library. They serve pro bono. Hey, we think it’s worth a shot. It could be your last chance to save Coney Island’s Boardwalk from becoming a Concretewalk.

PLEASE SAVE THIS DATE: MONDAY, OCTOBER 24TH
WHERE: NYC PUBLIC DESIGN COMMISSION,
253 Broadway (opposite City Hall), 5th floor, New York, NY
TIME: TO BE ANNOUNCED AND FORWARDED

Dear friends and neighbors:

I’m writing to ask you to join us on Monday, October 24th, at the NYC Design Commission. There will be a hearing about the proposed plan to replace the iconic Brighton Beach and Coney Island boardwalk with concrete slabs. A small group of us showed up a few weeks ago to express our displeasure with this Parks Department’s proposal so the hearing was changed to the date above. This was so that the Commission could hear our objections regarding this plan for the boardwalk.

THIS IS OUR BEST CHANCE FOR DEFEATING THIS PLAN!We need a substantial number of people at this hearing to express their displeasure with the proposal. The people on this Commission have no idea what impact their decisions have on this community. As neighbors who enjoy the boardwalk and don’t want it turned into a sidewalk or driveway, I’m hoping to prevail upon you to join us and express your outrage at this horrendous plan. We all have too many responsibilities and too little time, but many of us are taking off from our jobs yet again in order to attend this most important meeting. Won’t you join with us? Your presence is important! This Commission is not an advisory body. They make the final decision as to whether or not this project goes forward. Please don’t let cynicism about the good it does to show up at a hearing such as this stop you from coming. It CAN make a difference! Look at what happened when enough of us showed up to object to construction of the proposed amphitheater in Asser Levy/Seaside Park. This Commission stopped the plan because enough community members showed up to object. Please support us and our community once again. Please attend and tell your friends and neighbors to join us!

The time on the 24th will be announced in the next day or two and I will forward it on once it’s been set. Thanks for your consideration and support!

Rob Burstein, Coney-Brighton Boardwalk Alliance
Todd Dobrin, Friends of the Boardwalk

UPDATE March 7, 2012:

The next public hearing at the Design Commission is set for Monday, March 12. For more info, see the Coney-Brighton Boardwalk Alliance’s new website.

UPDATE October 25, 2011:

Victory! ATZ is happy to report that the Design Commmission has stopped the Parks Department from going ahead with the concretewalk. NY1 covered the hearing — watch the video here. As Todd Dobrin of Friends of the Boardwalk says in the vid: “I think that it’s great that the Design Commission has come to the conclusion that more environmental and engineering studies are required before this project goes forward.”