Coney Update: Is the Land Swap "Dead"?

Thor Equities has hired a lawyer to represent it in negotiations with the city again a local Council Member's declaration that the land swap proposed by the Bloomberg Administration "is dead." The developments were reported this week by Sarah Ryley in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. The Thor lawyer is Jesse Maysr and a member of the Coney Island Development Corp said that he "is known as the No. 1 obstacle to these types of things." The CIDC member said that some people see Mr. Maysr's presence as a sign, in the paper's words, "that Thor is readying for an epic fight to win, if necessary." Thor's spokesperson, Stefan Friedman, said: "We want to work with the city here, we want to do what’s best for the community. To say that we’re out for a long, protracted fight is ridiculous." Meanwhile, City Councilman Domenic Recchia, who is a supporter of the Thor plan for Coney Island said, "The land swap is dead. It’s never going to happen." Even if a deal is reached with Thor Equities, trading land near KeySpan Park for developer Joe Sitt's property in the amusement district would require reviews and state approval. The full text of the story has been posted on the Coney Island Message Board.