The beach, the boardwalk and the Cyclone are just days away, as Coney Island prepares to open for business this Sunday. But before the season begins, a group against some of the area's proposed development will protest later today. WNYC's Kathleen Horan has more.
REPORTER: The protesters are part of a group called “Save Coney Island.” They're fighting the plan to build luxury condominiums on the boardwalk. The condos are part of the new re-design of Coney Island by Thor Equities, the company that's bought much of Coney Island's prime real estate over the past few years. Diana Carlin owns a popular souvenir shop on the boardwalk and says she's not against change but it should be suited to the environment.
CARLIN: I think it should be a lot more but it should be an amusement park - not luxury condos.
REPORTER: A spokesman for Thor Equities says the company shares the view that Coney Island needs to be saved which is why it has proposed a plan to invest $2 billion in its future. A spokesperson for the city's Economic Development Corporation says they're still doing outreach with all the stakeholders and have not yet approved a final strategic plan. For WNYC, I'm Kathleen Horan.