John Catsimatidis wants his Coney Island development to have its own street car
A rendering of Ocean Dreams from January via Dattner Architects
As part of his “Ocean Dreams” development in Coney Island, billionaire real estate mogul John Catsimatidis plans to build a streetcar that would link the mixed-use project to the Stillwell Avenue subway station in Coney Island. Developed by Catsimatidis’ Red Apple Group, the project at 3514 Surf Avenue includes three buildings between West 36th and West 37th Streets that will feature retail space, 440 market-rate apartments and a 254-car garage. As the Coney Island News first reported, Catsimatidis said the streetcar would be available to everyone, not just residents of his development.
As 6sqft covered back in January, Red Apple filed plans for a 21-story tower on the Surf Avenue site after purchasing it the summer before. Since 2005, the developer has slowly acquired the lots between West 35th and West 37th Streets for the Ocean Dreams project. Designed by Hill West Architects, the project will include a building that includes food and pharmacies at its base, with 300 or more apartments above the third floor. Plus, a 254-car garage and a rooftop swimming pool are the development’s expected amenities. Developers also hope to build a supermarket and a restaurant on the boardwalk.
While Carsimatidis previously planned for a bus service between the development and Stillwell Avenue, the terminus station for southbound D, F, N and Q trains, he decided to go for a more inspired idea, developing trolley service. Catsimatidis said he would call the street car the “Coney Island Trolley.” The ambitious development is expected to open by fall of 2019.
According to the Coney Island News, residents expressed concern over the proposed street car at a community board meeting, afraid the service would interfere with the existing B36 bus route. Residents were also concerned about the lack of affordable housing units in the complex and some fear the Ocean Dreams development will make prices soar in the neighborhood. Catsimatidis said the community wanted more middle-class housing in the area.
“We talked about it with the community in the past and there are a lot of affordable units in that neighborhood already,” Catsimatidis said. He added, “the people actually lobbied us” to incorporate more market-rate, middle-class housing.
[Via The Coney Island News]
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