Coney Island Economic Wellness Stats
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63% Not satisfied with the amount of jobs
76% Available jobs are not in line with interests or skills
71% Not satisfied with the variety of local businesses
71% Not satisfied with the variety of food establishments
66% Not able to purchase necessities
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Grocery Stores (20)
Affordable
Fresh fish market
Healthy/Fruit/Vegetable
Variety of Restaurants (10)
Clothing Stores (4)
Pharmacies (3)
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All industries, with an emphasis on professional jobs:
Tech
Environmental
Finance
Retail
Hospitality
Not seasonal work
The recently opposed casino in Coney Island aimed to boost tourism and generate revenue, creating jobs and attracting visitors. However, there were major concerns about potential gentrification, displacement of long-time residents, and the loss of the area's unique cultural identity. Critics worried that it could prioritize tourism over the needs of the local community and lead to further commercialization. Our survey revealed that 60% of locals strongly disagree with the casino project, citing these concerns as central reasons for their opposition.
Current Land Uses in Coney Island (excluding Seagate) Source: NYC PLUTO 2024
Land Vacancy Facts
46% of the vacant land use by area is open space, mostly due to the beachfront
14% of lots are multi-family elevator buildings and 12% of the land is used for transportation and utility.
There are 67 total acres of vacant land. This includes open parking facilities and actual vacant land with no current use.
24% of the vacant land is zoned for commercial use, 40% for manufacturing, and 36% residential.
47% of the vacant land is owned by the City, and 40% is privately owned.
Of the vacant land is owned by the City, 61% of the land is zoned for manufacturing uses, 26% commercial, and 13% residential. These lots highlight key areas for further use and for community vision from land transfer from the City.
Land Use & Zoning
This is a land use map showing each lot in Coney Island classified in different colors to show use types: residential, commercial, industrial, transportation, open space and public facilities.
Land Vacancy by Ownership Type (excl. Seagate) Source: NYC PLUTO 2024
Enhance Community Engagement and Establish Community Ownership
A resident-driven approach to development, grounded in community capacity building and collective ownership, is the key to equitable revitalization in Coney Island. By building local leadership, fostering partnerships, and launching a pilot community land trust project, Coney Island can develop spaces that reflect resident priorities, promote long-term affordability, and generate sustainable local revenue.
Together, this set of recommendations work together to strengthen connectedness, empower residents, and position public land as a driver for equity, ownership, and economic resilience in Coney Island.
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The Community Dashboard is a centralized, accessible, and interactive digital platform designed to bridge these gaps. Functioning as a modern town square, the Dashboard will allow residents to engage with their neighborhood in an informal, user-friendly setting. It combines the real-time interactivity of social media platforms like Instagram with the depth and purpose of a town hall meeting without the barriers of time and accessibility.
The Dashboard will:
Simplify Access: Provide critical, up-to-date information on neighborhood projects, events, and resources.
Enhance Participation: Allow for ongoing resident feedback, polls, and direct interaction.
Center Community Voice: Foster transparency and accountability while encouraging co-creation of community-driven solutions.
Strengthen Connection: Create an inclusive space where neighbors can interact, share ideas, and build relationships.
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This approach centers residents as decision-makers, recognizing their lived experience, cultural knowledge, and long-standing relationships to place as critical forms of expertise. By shifting from top-down planning to collaborative processes, projects can better reflect the needs, values, and aspirations of the Coney Island community.
Building this model requires investing in local leadership and accessible participation. Providing training, resources, and paid opportunities—such as garden management roles, coordination positions, and workforce pathways—ensures that residents are not only contributors but stewards of the work. Structured roles and clear pathways for involvement help sustain engagement while creating opportunities for skill-building and economic mobility.
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Transforming vacant and underutilized land in Coney Island into community assets begins with a clear and strategic approach to prioritization. This initiative focuses on identifying vacant lots with the greatest potential for impact based on criteria such as location, size, ownership status, environmental conditions, and proximity to community resources. By mapping and assessing these sites, the project establishes a data-informed framework to guide equitable and effective land use decisions.
Feasibility is central to this process. Each prioritized lot is evaluated for its suitability to support community gardens, green infrastructure, or other public-serving uses. Considerations include soil quality, access to water, sunlight exposure, zoning regulations, and long-term maintenance capacity. This phase ensures that proposed interventions are not only visionary but also practical, sustainable, and responsive to site-specific conditions.