New renderings have been revealed for The Coney, a massive casino, hotel, and entertainment complex proposed for Coney Island, Brooklyn. Designed by FXCollaborative and developed by Saratoga Casino Holdings, Global Gaming Solutions, Legends, and Thor Equities, the project is the latest in the slew of New York City casino proposals vying for the coveted downstate gaming license. If realized, it would also bring a 32-story, 500-room hotel tower, a 2,500-seat concert venue, 90,000 square feet of meeting and event space, retail and dining establishments, and a public green space to the proverbial People’s Playground.
The Coney’s development plot is bound by Surf Avenue to the north, Jones Walk and the iconic Wonder Wheel to the east, and West 15th Street to the west. Multiple thoroughfares, including West 12th Street, Bowery Street, and Stillwell Avenue/Ruby Jacobs Walk would traverse the property beneath skybridges.
Diagram courtesy of Thor Equities
The below dusk and nighttime renderings show Ruby Jacobs Walk, as noted by the presence of the original the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs location and the pinwheel sculpture from the entrance to Luna Park. Floor-to-ceiling windows would clad the lower levels around new tree-lined sidewalks. Above, the buildings’ façades are shown enclosed in a diamond-patterned screen illuminated with colorful lights. A welcome sign adorns one of the skybridges and new amusement rides and landscaped terraces sit atop the buildings’ roofs.
Rendering courtesy of Thor Equities
Rendering courtesy of Thor Equities
Below is a view looking east at the Wonder Wheel and Cyclone roller coaster in the background, likely situating the point of view by the end of West 12th Street.
Rendering courtesy of Thor Equities
The following aerial perspective shows The Coney’s location in relation to the adjacent boardwalk and beach. The hotel tower’s massing is composed of multiple rounded rectangular volumes of various heights, and its glass curtain wall features a prismatic design with triangular panels, complementing the diagrid structure of the casino buildings below. The pinnacle of the tower is enclosed in a colorful mosaic reminiscent of stained glass.
Rendering courtesy of Thor Equities
Rendering courtesy of Thor Equities
Visitors would have panoramic vistas of the entire Coney Island beach, Luna Park, and the Atlantic Ocean from the outdoor terrace space atop the podium. Views from the hotel rooms would be even more expansive.
Rendering courtesy of Thor Equities
The below rendering depicts The Coney from the elevated Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway terminal, which is served by the D, F, N and Q trains. The hotel tower and property signage would dominate the view from the platforms.
Rendering courtesy of Thor Equities
The master plan must first be reviewed by the New York Gaming Facility Location Board, followed by further public input from local residents and a study of the neighborhood impact before becoming an eligible candidate for the gaming license. The latter decision, while accounting for the other proposed casino sites in New York City, is expected to occur sometime next year.
The Coney is anticipated to create nearly 4,000 jobs, and the developers plan to establish an on-site resource center to combat gaming addiction and enforce proper staff training to ensure a “welcoming, fun, and responsible environment for all” visitors.
“For two years we have been speaking with the residents of Coney Island and Southern Brooklyn about the need for a project that creates careers, supports local businesses, and centers entertainment around the idea of a playground that is truly accessible to the people,” said Sam Gerrity, CEO of Saratoga Casino Holdings, in a statement. “We have heard time and time again that Coney Island needs a project that provides year-round economic support while also lifting up the infrastructure in one of the most densely traveled areas of the community.”
“The Coney will be a world-class destination with activities for locals and tourists alike,” said Dan Boren, board chairman for Global Gaming Solutions and secretary of commerce for the Chickasaw Nation. “We have worked closely with the community and local business owners to put together a proposal that is designed to create thousands of good paying jobs and lift the entire local economy, benefitting Coney Island and all of Brooklyn.”
A handful of low-rise food and retail structures currently line Surf Avenue and several park attractions cover the general development area. All or most of these will likely require demolition should The Coney win approval for construction. An architect has yet to be revealed for the project.
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I wouldn’t trust Thor to build anything they say they will.
wait this would just completely destroy like 2/3 of the rides currently there? no thanks lmao, this is easily the worst casino proposal yet. build the hudson yards or citi field one.
Thor , lol losing money on so many investments.
It’s time to psss on this. Who is this a front for?
I strongly suspect visitors and locals would prefer a casino in Manhattan rather than in Flushing Meadows or Coney Island. Hudson Yards would be a good location.
I don’t believe NYC needs a casino at all. There is a reason they were originally in places like Atlantic City and Las Vegas. Places with nothing of substance. But if there “has to” be one I would say Aqueduct since there is already gambling there
I have no real objections to the casino, hotel, concert venue or restaurants, but there should be zero parking south of Surf Ave. If the developer wants parking for this proposal they should find somewhere they can build a ramp north of Surf Ave, perhaps off W 12th next to the subway station makes sense. Everything between Surf Ave and the Boardwalk should be a pedestrian only zone. Having visitors walk around the neighborhood will benefit the surrounding businesses with increased foot traffic while having the parking under the casino/hotel means that surrounding businesses wont see as much economic benefit.
This proposal is already underwater or soon will be. No mention of what climate change will do to this project on a barrier island in the not too distant future. Time to float another idea before this one capsizes.
This look amazing! The casino we are building in Chicago is going to be so bland. I love the character of it.
So every large city will get a casino? It’s like the convention center craze of 25 years ago.
People now gamble away their money on their phones. We don’t need another failed Atlantic City.
Designed to create thousands of good-paying jobs, it has quite a lot of attraction. Hurry up! Thanks to Michael Young.
Doesn’t stand a chance of ever being successful, who in their right mind would book a hotel room and go to a casino, I don’t think Atlantic City is doing very good what makes this developer think this will be any different?
I’m normally a YIMBY, normally very happy to see the progress on Coney Island but omg this is just terrible. Development should foster and add to what’s ALREADY working. Not destroy half of it to place bets on a shady industry opening up business in what’s already a working class neighborhood.
what a horror
THANK YOU! It is.
Joe Sitt takes $97M loss on one of Madison Avenue’s priciest retail properties.
Thor equities is losing money . This deal will not get approved.
Build Hudson yards to get the international gamblers and also Jersey and Westchester crowds and build Citi Field for the Long Island and Connecticut crowds.
There goes the neighborhood.
Coney Casino seems like a good fit.
The much-hyped and failed Revel project in Atlantic City would like a word……and that dumpster fire didn’t involve Joe Sitt!!!
Nobody that lives in this area needs this or wants this. Resorts World is a 20 minute drive. How about adding shuttle buses to Resorts World for people who need to gamble?