Joseph Sitt

It's only July and already the so-called "Summer of Hope" is winding down on Coney Island.

Gowanus Lounge is reporting that the various rides and attractions touted by controversial developer Joe Sitt back in April are currently being dismantled, apparently headed to some other carnival site in Tennessee.

Gowanus Lounge has the text of Dick Zigun's resignation letter from the Coney Island Development Corporation. The Mayor of Coney Island is rather peeved at the Bloomberg administration's current plan for the amusement mecca. As he told my colleague Eliot Brown in May, "The new plan sucks."

Mr. Zigun elaborates in his letter:  read more »

Proprietors of venerable Coney Island institution Ruby's Bar & Grill hope to reopen Friday afternoon, following vigorous repairs to replace a collapsed floor in the men's room that sent one patron to the hospital over the weekend.

Much maligned developer Joseph Sitt of Thor Equities, who owns the building, is chipping in on the cost of repairs, which were completed yesterday, according to a source at the bar.  read more »

The Health Department has shuttered venerable Ruby's Bar & Grill on the Coney Island boardwalk following a bizarre incident on Saturday, which I reported in this week's Observer.

A cop on the scene summed it up thusly: “One guy was taking a leak, the floor partially collapsed, and he fell 10 feet.”

Police closed down the bar soon after the accident on Saturday. It reopened Sunday. Then the health inspector closed it down again yesterday, according to a well-placed source on the boardwalk.

Joe Sitt, the developer who owns much of the amusement district at Coney Island, today announced a new set of rides and other amusements to fill his vacant lots for the summer. On the list for the new “Dreamland”: bumper cars, a “Giant Gondola” and a petting zoo, among others.

Mr. Sitt's efforts come as amusement enthusiasts are pushing back against the city’s new plan for Coney Island, a proposal they claim is far too generous to the landowner. The city’s prior proposal would have effectively forced Mr. Sitt to sell or swap the bulk of his land, as the city wanted to create a 15-acre city-owned amusement zone. That plan ran into opposition from local Councilman Domenic Recchia, who sided with Mr. Sitt, and thus the city was forced to compromise, given the power of local elected officials in major land-use changes.

Now the city and Mr. Sitt are negotiating over the revised plan, which Mr. Sitt has thus far resisted supporting.  read more »

Mayor Bloomberg and Joseph Sitt just can’t seem to get along.

Mr. Sitt, the major landowner in Coney Island, has been resisting the city’s quest to remake the Brooklyn enclave. He opposed the city’s earlier plan and now has reservations about a compromise that would allow him to develop much of his land just north of a nine-acre amusement zone.  read more »

Joe Sitt’s new team, reported on Curbed and Gowanus Lounge, has got the Web speculating about his next move: Is he giving up, retrenching, or sweet-talking his way to a compromise on his Coney Island wonderland?

Consider this: His new public relations consultants, Knickerbocker SKD, worked on the transportation bond act, Mayor Bloomberg’s campaign and the Bloomberg-friendly Campaign for New York’s Future. His new lobbyist, Jim Capalino, has repped the Lenora Fulani-linked All Stars Project and the Moynihan Station developers.

Not exactly your street fighters in other words.

Mr. Sitt's new spokesman, Knickerbocker's Stefan Friedman, e-mails to say:

Thor Equities is committed to realizing the great potential that lies in Coney Island. In working with the City, local residents and businesses, as well as understanding the needs of its millions of visitors, we hope to experience a collaborative Coney Island Renaissance.

A panel of experts convened by the Municipal Art Society will meet tonight to discuss the forthcoming transformation of Coney Island.

Noticably missing from the debate: Thor Equities developer Joseph Sitt, whose controversial plan to soon raze and reconstruct the Brooklyn beach community's amusement district includes a proposed rezoning to allow high-rise luxury condos along the boardwalk.

"The panel organizers offered the one developer slot to Taconic," explained MAS spokesman Brian Connolly, referring to Taconic Investment Partners, which itself is planning a slew of residential development around, but not inside, the carnival-ride and arcade zone.

Details on the Sitt-less event after the jump.  read more »

As the amusement haven sizzles into its final summer before Joseph Sitt vies for luxury condos and hotels, some can’t wait for the ‘face-lift’.  read more »