A proposal to convert Coney Island’s Childs Restaurant to an amphitheater and public park is well on its way to full City Council approval before the body’s last meeting of the year.
The council’s Land Use Committee gave the project, dubbed the Seaside Park and Community Arts Center, the thumbs up Wednesday, Crain’s reported. In order for the plan to come to fruition, zoning laws must be changed and permits granted for an outdoor amphitheater that would hold more than 5,000 people.
Advanced by the city’s Economic Development Corporation and iStar Financial subsidiary Coney Island Holdings, the project has key support from Domenic Recchia, a City Council member from Brooklyn. The plan is expected to sail through the full City Council vote thanks to his support.
Backers of the development say that it would provide economic stimulus for the area, but detractors cite concerns about increased traffic and noise, and question the redirection of taxpayer funds in an area still plagued by heat and power outages a year after Hurricane Sandy. [Crain’s] — Julie Strickland