Jane Jacob's Son 'Appalled' By Coney Island Plan; NY Times Supports MAS Modifications

McBrooklyn received an email today from Save Coney Island, which released a statement from Jane Jacobs’s son, Ned Jacobs, in which he said he was “appalled” by the City’s rezoning plan for Coney Island.

City officials gathered today on Hudson Street in the West Village to honor his mom, an urban visionary, with a street renaming.

“While I cannot speak on behalf of my mother, the late Jane Jacobs, or predict what she would think about particular proposals today, in my view, this rezoning plan for Coney Island does not appear to reflect the urban values and planning principles she espoused,” wrote Jacobs.

The City’s current rezoning plan would "obliterate Coney Island’s historic and distinctive character," according to Save Coney Island. The City’s plan rezones most of Coney Island, leaving "a narrow strip of 12 acres for a shrunken amusement park.” It inserts four high-rise hotel towers, up to 27 stories, into the historic, low-rise, amusement district.

The City's rezoning plan can be seen here. According to the City, the amusement and entertainment district will consist of 27 acres and will foster year-round activity.

The New York Times ran an editorial yesterday urging its passage but supporting the Municipal Art Society's’ recommendations to improve the plan.

"We like the Municipal Art Society’s idea of doubling the size of the amusement area and removing hotels from the south side of Surf Avenue. This way, when visitors get off the subway, they will meet sunlight and open air, not a high-rise barricade.”

A full Council vote is due by August 7.

Photo by Kevin Downs

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