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BOROUGH PRESIDENT JOINS MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND COUNCIL SPEAKER MILLER IN ANNOUNCING FORMATION OF CONEY ISLAND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

Photograph by Kathryn Kirk
	In photo: left to right - Councilmember Recchia, Council Speaker Miller, Borough President Markowitz and Mayor Bloomberg

Borough President Marty Markowitz joined with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, City Council Speaker Gifford Miller and Councilmember Domenic Recchia today on Coney Island’s historic boardwalk to announce the incorporation of the Coney Island Development Corporation (CIDC). The local development corporation, which includes City officials, Brooklyn business and community leaders, and real estate executives, is charged with spearheading and implementing a comprehensive planning process for Coney Island and creating a coordinated economic development strategy for the area. The thirteen-member Board is made up of seven members selected by the Mayor, five by the City Council and one by the Borough President. New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) Chief Operating Officer Joshua J. Sirefman will chair the Board, and each of the members serves for a term of two years.

“Coney Island is full of a wealth of treasures waiting to be rediscovered, and the establishment of the Coney Island Development Corporation is an important step in that direction,” Borough President Markowitz said. “While we can never bring back the Coney Island of my childhood, we can make it even better than it was before. From the Cyclone, the world’s most famous roller coaster to the Brooklyn Cyclones, one of America’s most successful minor league franchises, Coney Island is still a fantastic draw, but we have so much more to offer. From our beaches and the boardwalk to our restaurants and nightlife, the best days for Coney Island are right in front of us.”

The Coney Island Development Corporation’s mandate is to enhance the local economy and improve the neighborhood’s overall quality of life. To accomplish these goals, the development corporation will create a strategic plan for neighborhood development that seeks to find ways to improve area business conditions, encourage development of affordable and market-rate housing, improve public open spaces and recreational resources, while supporting the existing amusement and sports-based businesses.

The Board’s activities will initially be financed with funds from EDC and the City Council. The first order of business for the new development corporation will be to begin drafting a Request for Proposals for an outside consultant or team of consultants to help create the development plan. EDC, under CIDC Board’s oversight, will draft and issue the RFP in cooperation with City Planning staff, City Council Land Use staff, and Planning and Development staff from the Borough President’s office. It is expected to be issued later this fall and a draft plan is will be completed within a year. The thirteen members of the newly formed CIDC include:

Joshua J. Sirefman, CIDC Chair & COO, NYC Economic Development Corporation
Pamela Adamo, Vice President, KeySpan Energy
Kenneth Adams, President, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce
Sol Adler, Executive Director, 92nd Street Y and resident of Seagate, Coney Island
Jon Benguiat, Director of Planning & Development, Brooklyn Borough President’s Office
Marty Levine, Member, Community Board 13 and Coney Island Chamber of Commerce, and Executive Director of Friends of the Boardwalk
Astrudge Maclean, Owner, Sign O’Rama, and Chair of the Coney Island Board of Trade
Judi Orlando, Executive Director, Astella Development Corporation
Cynthia Reich, Deputy Director, New York Aquarium
Chuck Reichenthal, District Manager, Community Board 13
Sheryl Robertson, Director, South Brooklyn Community Development Corporation and Member of Community Board 13
Julius Spiegel, Brooklyn Commissioner, NYC Department of Parks and Recreation
Terry Stanley, Principal, Washington Square Partners