Council holds public hearing on LU 297 for proposed Coney Island development; no vote taken

The New York City Council subcommittee on land use on LU 297 opened a public hearing on a proposed Coney Island development that would require a city map amendment — including demapping a portion of Bowery, acquiring volumes of air above West 12th Street and Stillwell Avenue, and adjusting the grade of part of Stillwell Avenue. The subcommittee heard presentations by the applicant team, then received roughly 40 in‑person and about 15 online testimonies; the council did not vote on the item.

Councilmember Justin Brannan, representing Coney Island, framed the proceeding: "Coney Island has always stood as a beacon of excitement, imagination, and possibility ... the original people's playground," he said, while reminding the room "we are not here today to decide whether there should be a casino in Coney Island." Brannan and Chair Riley noted that final authority over any gaming license rests with state processes — a community advisory committee (CAC), the Gaming Facility Location Board and the New York State Gaming Commission — and that local land‑use approval is required only for an applicant to compete for a state license.

Applicant presentation and commitments

Representatives for the project (who introduced themselves for the record as Jody Stein and a multi‑disciplinary team including Sarah Davis and other consultants) described a four‑block campus adjacent to the boardwalk and Stillwell Avenue. They said the land‑use action sought in LU 297 is limited to map changes: demapping a segment of Bowery, acquiring air rights above parts of Stillwell Avenue and West 12th Street (the West 12th air volume was adjusted after City Planning feedback; presenters said they raised the lower limiting plane by 20 feet), and raising the elevation of a portion of Stillwell Avenue "for flood mitigation" — a change described in testimony as ranging roughly from a small increment up to about 2 feet…