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Joe Sitt Plays in His Coney Island Sandbox

Posted in Real Estate, Redevelopment, tagged Bloomberg, City Council, Coney Island, Joe Sitt, rezoning, Thor Equities on July 21, 2009| 1 Comment »

Joey Sitt Plays with Bulldozers in His Coney Island Sandbox. Art by Tiny Tim

Joey Sitt Enjoys Playing with Bulldozers in His Coney Island Sandbox. Art by Tiny Tim

Some toddlers never grow up. Meet Joey “Bulldozer” Sitt, CEO of Thor Equities, largest landowner in Coney Island. After a City Council Subcommittee passed Mayor Bloomberg’s rezoning plan today, Sitt told the NY Post, “I’m the guy who controls this – it’s my sandbox.” He added that he would be willing “to share my sandbox with my friend Mayor Mike.”

Translation: Lawyers for Joe Sitt and the City’s Economic Development Corporation are wheeling and dealing behind closed doors. The deal is that Sitt would sell at least half of his Coney property to the City and keep the rest to develop or flip. With most favorable zoning of course!

Thanks to graphic artist Tiny Tim for sending us the photo collage of Joey demolishing Coney Island’s go-karts, batting cages, bumper boats, and mini golf. Creating empty lots in Coney is this CEO’s favorite outdoor activity. The Astrotower is still standing because Sitt said he “fell in love” with it and wants to keep it.

Hey, we love the Astrotower too. We also believe Coney Island is the People’s Sandbox, not Joe Sitt’s. Give it back to us, you bully.

Sundown at Thor’s Unamusing “Festival by the Sea” Flea

Posted in Coney Island, Real Estate, Redevelopment, tagged Coney Island, Festival by the Sea, flea market, Joe Sitt, tent, Thor Equities on June 7, 2009| 1 Comment »

Thor Equities Festival by the Sea tent on west side of Stillwell Ave on Saturday afternoon. Photo by me-myself-i/Tricia Vita via flickr

On Saturday morning, Thor Equities flea crew brought in a pump to remove the pool of rain water from the site on the east side of Stillwell where the tentless flea is held. The structure on the west side of Stillwell pictured above remained waterlogged. It is not being used since they don’t even have enough vendors to fill the spaces on the east side. The framework is still being reinforced to satisfy the DOB’s requirements and some of the tenting has been replaced. The tents have yet to get a C of O.

After the water was pumped out, vendors drawn to Thor’s flea by the steeply discounted rate of $20-$25 per space (plus the fee for tables and chairs) were able to set up their stands. A banner on the fence insists that the festival is “MUCH MUCH MORE THAN A FLEA MARKET.” Their caps, not mine. A more accurate statement would be IT’S NOT MUCH OF A FLEA MARKET AND IT DOESN’T BELONG IN CONEY ISLAND’S C-7 AMUSEMENT DISTRICT. My caps.

Tube sox at Thor Equities "Uniquely Entertaining and Amusing Flea Market" in Coney Island. Photo by me-myself-i/Tricia Vita via flickr

When I stopped by at sundown most of the vendors were packing up for the day. On the land where the Tornado Roller coaster (1927-1977), the Bobsled (1941-1974), and Stauch’s Baths and Dance Hall (1930-1998) once stood, where the Bumper Boats, Go Karts, Climbing Wall, Batting Cages and Mini-Golf thrived until Joe Sitt bulldozed them in 2007, we now have tube sox, new and used clothing, and odds and ends like auto supplies, a water filtration system, a company that installs showers.

Packing up boxes of shoes at Thor's flea market. Photo by me-myself-i/Tricia Vita via flickr

In the three visits that I have paid to the flea, I rarely see the same vendors twice. Perhaps that’s why the flea management is offering special deals like “bring a buddy as a vendor” to earn a free day for yourself. And “earn a free Friday when you purchase a Saturday and a Sunday for the same weekend.” One of my Coney friends said, “If the prices get any lower, Thor will be paying vendors to come.”

Wonder Wheel Weeps. Photo by me-myself-i/Tricia Vita via flickr

No C of O for Thor Equities Tents, Coney Flea Fest Postponed!

Posted in Coney Island, Real Estate, Redevelopment, tagged Coney Island, Coney Island Redevelopment, Festival by the Sea, flea market, Joe Sitt, Thor Equities on May 17, 2009| 2 Comments »

On Friday afternoon I swung by Thor Equities’ Festival by the Sea site on Stillwell (Sittland West) to see what was going on. Not much.

Tourists stand in sunshine and snap photos of Thor's Coney Festival by the Sea Closed Due to Threat of Bad Weather Sign

Tourists stand in sunshine and snap photos of Thor's Festival by the Sea "Closed Due to Threat of Bad Weather" Sign

photo by Tricia Vita via me-myself-i, flickr

The Brooklyn Paper reported on Thursday that Joe Sitt’s flea market set to open on May 15 had suffered a setback. Instead of an indoor market, vendors would be “exposed to the elements due to a tent mishap.” But when I walked by there looking for a photo op, nothing was going on. There were no vendors. Instead I took pix of tourists taking pix of Thor’s vacant festival lot.

I shouldn’t have been surprised. The Coney Island Rumor Mill had been sayin’ since last week that Thor Equities would postpone the much publicized grand opening of their Dreamland park, or is it their Festival, oh well whatever it is…for a week or two because the rides aren’t arriving in Dreamland and the Festival tents are the wrong tents and they have to be taken down!

Anon VIP Invite, including styrofoam straw hat, sits forlornly on chair, unused....Thor Equities Festival by the Sea Opening on May 15 and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on May 17... POSTPONED!

photo by Tricia Vita via me-myself-i, flickr

When I went to the DOB website and clicked on the C of O Summary tab for Sitt’s permit for his “temporary fair,” it said in big red letters THIS JOB HAS NO C OF O APPLICATION ON FILE. A new building cannot be legally occupied until a Certificate of Occupancy has been issued.

On Thursday workers removed the brightly striped roof and sidewalls leaving the structures open to the air. On Friday, Sitt employees wearing “Festival by the Sea” hats & T shirts were on site answering questions from visitors and potential vendors.

When I asked the employees what happened and when the festival would open I was told the following: The Festival by the Sea opening is postponed till next weekend (May 22) when it will be an open air flea market. Weather permitting, of course. The tenting material would not be replaced till the following weekend, May 29th, because the roof structure needed to be reinforced. A festival employee mentioned the collapse of the Dallas Cowboys practice tent in heavy winds earlier this month as a reason for the reinforcement.

According to the Rumor Mill, the DOB is requiring that the festival tents be able to withstand hurricane force winds. It’s a good thing too, if you look at the vid of the collapsed Dallas tent. Or if you look at some of the photos taken over the months of Thor’s collapsed construction fences.

Collapsed construction fences afford a view of Thor Equities vacant Stillwell property in Coney Island, New Years Day, 2009. This is the site where the festival tents are set up.

photo by Tricia Vita via me-myself-i, flickr

It’s important to note that Thor Equities’ Festival by the Sea is not just a summer flea market. The festival website says they plan to be open through Christmas. The permit is valid till January, so the tents will be subject to windy, stormy, snowy weather. I don’t know if the city’s DOB revised the regulations for tents after the Dallas Cowboys tent accident or if the rules were already in place, but the Dallas tent collapse is the subject of a federal investigation.

The Coney Island Rumor Mill has also been speculating about the validity of the permit for a flea market disguised as a “temporary fair” in the C-7 amusement zone. It is distressing to see gi-normous enclosed structures for retail booths set up where amusements rightfully belong. The batting range, go karts, bumper boats, mini-golf and other popular amusement attractions thrived here before Joe Sitt bought the property and evicted them to deliberately create his empty lots.

My guess is the “Festival by the Sea marketplace” is an incubator project for Thor Equities proposed 10,000 square foot retail spaces in a rezoned Coney Island. Fortunately the City as well as Borough President Marty Markowitz said NO to big box style retail in Coney, yes to Mom & Pops in Coney. Now it’s up to City Planning and the City Council, which will hold a public hearing on the Coney Island rezoning this summer.

Thor Equities tent structure under construction. Shoot the Freak is visible at the far end along with the sign for the batting range which occupied the site along with other amusements until evicted by property owner Joe Sitt.

photo via me-myself-i, flickr

How did Sitt obtain the permit to make a flea market in the C-7? I’m guessing it’s some kind of loophole based on the fact that he says there will be some entertainment. Sitt’s agents advertised for variety acts and bands on craigslist. Thor Equities calls it a festival and brings in strolling entertainers as an amusement because their original application for a flea market was disapproved. If you look at the subway sign for the “festival” you’ll even see the phrase “uniquely entertaining and amusing” and a cartoon of a fire eater and a snake charmer. Oh, and there’s also a vendor selling lamps!

Some of Friday’s tourists weren’t sure what there was to do in Coney Island since they’d come here for the postponed Festival by The Sea. I told them there’s plenty to do! I sent them over to ride the Eldorado bumper cars, the Cyclone and McCullough’s kiddie rides.

McCullough's Kiddie Park, Bowery and 12th Street

photo by Tricia Vita via me-myself-i, flickr

The kiddie park was especially busy on this weekday afternoon. I sent the tourists over to see Target the Cat, who was working the Basketball game on the Bowery, and Jimmy, who was running his Balloon Dart. Despite Thor Equities prediction of threat of bad weather, it was a sunny, delightful Friday in Coney Island’s C-7 amusement zone. Let’s keep it that way! As my friend Spidora says, “Carnival Stalls, Not Mega-Malls!”