Kruger Strikes Again

State Senator Carl Kruger held a press conference on Friday to announce that the city's plan for Coney Island should not go proceed until an environmental review is completed.

In order to designate key amusement area land (which is currently owned by Thor Equities) as 'parkland,' the city plans to swap Thor for nearby land, which is adjacent to KeySpan Park. Kruger's objection (which he has threatened to back up with a lawsuit) does not challenge the swap directly, but would throw a monkey wrench into the preliminary step of declassifying the land by KeySpan Park as parkland.

Out of context, it might seem like a reasonable request that an environmental review be put into effect before the city removes a park's protected status. Considering, however, that this process would take a year, that the land in question is (as The Gowanus Lounge points out) mainly just parking lot, and that this is the second time in two months Kruger has found a way to get his name in the headlines while at the same time doing a favor for Thor, it starts to seem a lot less reasonable.

Once again, Kruger has managed to frame shilling for Thor as doing his duty for the people of Brooklyn.

State Senator Calls for Review of Coney Island Project [The New York Times]
Coney Plan's Twist & Turn [New York Post]
Environmental review could stall Coney Island plan [Newsday]
Coney News: Lola Staar's New Shop and Roller Rink (?) + Carl Kruger's Parking Lot Fight [The Gowanus Lounge]

- post by Ben Nadler