Protest Against Coney Island Development

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.