Markowitz approves Coney rezoning plan

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz yesterday approved the city’s Coney Island rezoning plan, which will allow some land to be used for residential and commercial development and set aside other land for an amusement park. The rezoning plan calls for a larger amusement district, 6,000 permanent jobs and 4,500 new housing units, 900 of which will be for low- and middle-income New Yorkers. Markowitz recommended that a committee be established to design “awe-inspiring” Coney Island architecture and that the plan’s focus be on local job and housing opportunities. In a statement, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Markowitz’s “stamp of approval is an important milestone in the process.” The plan will now go to the City Planning Commission and the City Council for approval. TRD