Coney Crazy #2: Atlantic Yards or Coney Island?

[Photo courtesy of dnblog1/flickr]

We have always joked that Coney Island was the "Next Atlantic Yards." As it turns out, among those opposing the city's Coney Island proposal that came to the canceled meeting on Monday night were members of BUILD, the pro-Atlantic Yards group that signed the "Community Benefits Agreement" for the project and that has received funding from developer Bruce Ratner. (We would link to BUILD's website, but it only shows a message that its account has been suspended.) The gentleman in the far right of this photo as Sen. Carl Kruger, who has emerged as a vocal opponent of the Mayor's plan, is speaking to a news crew is BUILD's James Caldwell, which is fascinating in an Atlantic Yards Support-Coney Island Opposition Nexus kind of way. (The inset photo is Mr. Caldwell at the Community Benefits Agreement signing for Atlantic Yards.) Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn digs into the curious connection a bit and points out that among Sen. Carl Kruger's points of opposition to the Mayor's Coney plan is that "This is a backdoor approach to eminent domain." The Coney battle lines only promise to get more and more interesting as groups from all over Brooklyn now seem to be choosing sides and jumping into the fray.