Has Thor Got Their Backs?

January 2008

Something I noticed on the beach at Coney last Tuesday, during the annual New Year's Day dip, was the seemingly endless supply of thin terrycloth towels emblazoned with the Thor Equities logo. I wasn't sure what to make of it at first, knowing how the zoning board ruled against their condo plan, which has thrown their redevelopment plans into something of a tizzy. Such a large spanner has been tossed into the works that the owners of Astroland were forced to negotiate an extra year's lease on the land they sold last year.

Last year, the last year for Coney Island, remember? Maybe we'll squeeze out one more.

June 2007

Thor Equities was fairly well reviled during the Mermaid Parade last year, with protesters marching along the route. But with their loss in the zoning battle, some concessions appear to have been made, and a few other prominent local opponents are falling under the developer's sway.

I read in some other blogs that the Polar Bear Club has taken a bit of heat for accepting the sponsorship, given their past opposition to the redevelopment plan.

Whatever the intrigue, I wonder if all the grandiose plans won't simply fade away, like so many of the dreams created for the future of this city? After all, next year Astroland will reopen, although they'll be leasing the land they once owned. The Child's building will continue its rehab, but little else will change. Planks on the boardwalk will continue to rot clean away before the city considers repairing anything. The Mermaids will dance along Surf Avenue in the summer sun. By the end of August there will be more 'last year' talk, but no one will have any definite ideas, plans, or financing.

November 2007

I think we'll be seeing a lot more of this in the coming years, and not much else.