Meet the Grinch of Coney Island.
Developer Joe Sitt showed little holiday spirit this week as he infuriated business operators along the fabled boardwalk by having locks clipped and replaced – and hanging for-lease signs on their storefronts.
“He’s literally kicking us out Christmas Eve by not even trying to negotiate new leases with us,” said activist Dianna Carlin, who owns Lola Staar Souvenir Boutique on the Boardwalk.
Even a Boardwalk outpost of the famous Nathan’s hot dogs – about a block away from its Surf Avenue outpost – was slapped Tuesday with a for-lease sign.
Sitt owns almost 11 acres of prime beachfront real estate, including fabled Astroland Park and nearly the rest of the entire amusement zone – which he is in the process of trying to sell to the city. Astroland’s lease is up at the end of January, but the other business leases are up at the end of this month.
While some merchants allege Sitt is essentially booting them off the boardwalk by informally offering new leases with jacked up rents he knows they can’t afford, others like Carlin haven’t even received an offer.
As the Post reported in September, the city is negotiating to buy Sitt’s land to save Mayor Bloomberg’s Coney Island rezoning plan and revive the sagging amusement district. Such a sale would potentially save Astroland also, although it would be likely be relocated to another part of the boardwalk.
Carol Albert, Astroland’s longtime operator, has been packing up her rides in recent weeks to cover herself if no deal is reached between Sitt and City Hall.
She confirmed yesterday that despite receiving substantial offers for the amusements, she is not selling them and, instead, will put them in storage in the hopes the city can cut a deal. “I’m playing the long shot,” she said.
Stefan Friedman, a spokesman for Sitt’s firm Thor equities, contended that the developer has had “positive negotiations with many of his tenants
“We are confident that every single square foot of property that Thor owns in Coney Island will be open and active next summer,” he said.
Lynn Kelly, who heads the city’s Coney Island Development Corp., said Sitt’s behavior shows why the mayor’s planned rezoning is needed, “so that the boardwalk businesses and all of Coney Island have a chance to thrive.”
Sources say both the city and Sitt remain apart in sale negotiations. As the Post reported, Sitt wants $200 million to $250 million for his land – about double what he paid accumulating it over the past few years. The city, however, wants to pay well below $200 million.
Like the Parachute Jump and Wonder Wheel, the Cyclone rollercoaster at Astroland is landmarked and not in danger of being razed.