Coney Island has always survived big dreams, bad plans, and brutal attempts to reshape it. From the fires that toppled the great amusement palaces to decades of failed redevelopment schemes, this place endures because people fight for it.
This year,
that spirit showed itself again.
After
nearly three years of debate, proposals, rallies, hearings, lobbying, and
community pushback, the plan to build a massive casino and luxury hotel
complex inside the historic amusement district has officially been defeated.
On September 29th, Coney Island’s Community Advisory Committee (CAC)
voted 4–2 against advancing the casino plan known as “The Coney.”
Weeks later, the state selected three casino sites elsewhere in NYC—none of
them in Brooklyn.
But while
the casino project is dead, the larger fight for the soul of Coney Island
continues.
This
article offers a clear, thorough, and deeply informed summary of everything
that happened—from the original proposal to the final vote—and what it means
for the future of New York’s most iconic seaside amusement district.
The Proposal That Sparked a Firestorm
In late
2022, Thor Equities—joined by Saratoga Casino Holdings, the Chickasaw Nation,
and Legends Hospitality—announced its plan for a $3+ billion casino resort
on Surf Avenue. The project included:
- A 30+
story luxury hotel
- Casino
gaming floors
- A
2,500-seat concert venue
- Convention
and retail space
- A massive footprint that would
have required demapping public streets
- A location inside the heart
of the amusement district, just steps from the Wonder Wheel
Developers
framed the project as an “economic engine” that would transform Coney Island
into a year-round destination.
But
longtime residents, historians, amusement business owners, and preservation
advocates saw something very different:
A
towering development that would overshadow, privatize, and permanently alter
the fragile character of America’s Playground.
The
Community Fights Back
From the
beginning, opposition was strong and well-organized.
Local
Groups That Took the Lead
- Coney
Island USA
- Save
Coney Island veterans
- Neighborhood activists and
small business owners
- Amusement
operators
- The grassroots group No
Casino in Coney Island
- Longtime residents who
understood that a casino was fundamentally incompatible with the
beachfront amusement core
These groups consistently highlighted:
- Thor Equities’ long history of demolitions,
empty lots, and stalled development
- The risk of year-round
traffic chaos in an area already strained
- The danger of placing a casino
in a community with high poverty and limited social services
- The threat to public streets,
sunlight, air, and the open feel of the amusement district
- The precedent that such a
mega-structure would set for future oversized development
Their
message was simple and powerful:
Coney Island deserves investment—but not at the cost of its identity.
In January
2025, Community Board 13 voted against the land-use changes needed for
the casino project. Though advisory, this vote mattered.
It gave
local elected officials political cover. It signaled that people who live and
work in Coney Island do not want a casino consuming the amusement zone.
And it reinforced a message to the state:
This project does not have local support.
The
State Steps In: The CAC Hearings
Under New
York’s casino laws, each proposed site must be reviewed by a Community
Advisory Committee (CAC)—a six-person panel representing local and state
officials. A project must receive at least four votes in favor to move
forward.
Through the
summer of 2025, the CAC held hearings where:
- Union groups and paid
supporters spoke in favor
- Residents, amusement workers,
and preservation advocates spoke against
- Experts warned about
environmental and traffic impacts
- Questions about electrical
load, emergency response capacity, and parking gridlock went unanswered
One CAC
member famously criticized the environmental study as a blueprint for “traffic
hell.”
The
Vote That Ended the Casino Bid
On September
29, 2025, the Coney Island CAC cast its decisive vote:
YES:
- Governor’s
appointee
- Mayor’s
appointee
NO:
- State
Senator’s appointee
- Assemblymember’s
appointee
- Brooklyn
Borough President
- Councilmember
Justin Brannan
Final: 4–2 Against
This
legally ended the project.
It could not advance to the state’s Gaming Facility Location Board.
Coney Island’s bid was officially dead.
That night,
Coney Island USA held a creative “funeral” for the casino—a celebration of
local power and community victory.
On December
1, 2025, the state announced the three downstate casino locations:
- Resorts
World Aqueduct (Queens)
- Hard Rock Metropolitan Park at
Citi Field (Queens)
- Bally’s
Ferry Point (Bronx)
Coney
Island was not—and could not be—among them.
This sealed
the outcome:
The amusement district has been saved from the casino threat in this
licensing round.
Why
This Was Such an Important Win
A victory
like this has bigger meaning than just defeating a development proposal.
It proves:
- Coney Island still has a soul
worth protecting.
- Community voices can overpower
deep pockets.
- The amusement district is not
just real estate—it’s heritage, culture, history, and identity.
A casino
would have introduced a privatized, towering fortress into one of the last
remaining free-and-open amusement corridors in the country. It would have cast
literal and symbolic shadows over the Wonder Wheel, Deno’s, the Boardwalk, and
the small businesses that shape Coney Island’s character.
This was
not NIMBYism.
It was cultural preservation, plain and simple.
But
Is the Fight Over? Not Completely.
This casino
proposal is dead, but the dynamics behind it still exist:
- Thor Equities still holds
valuable land and still has development ambitions.
- The amusement district remains
vulnerable to oversized, mismatched proposals.
- The future of Surf Avenue and
Neptune Avenue is still unwritten.
- Another casino licensing round could
happen years from now.
That’s why
continued reporting, transparency, and community involvement matter.
This
victory is a pause—an important one—not the end of the story.
Conclusion:
A Moment to Celebrate—and Stay Vigilant
Coney
Island won the battle.
The amusement district stands safe—for now.
The Wonder Wheel will not be dwarfed.
The Boardwalk will not be shadowed by a 30-story tower.
And the fantasy, freedom, and weirdness that make Coney Island magical survive
another day.
