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NEW YORK — New York City is moving forward with a $1 billion redevelopment of the Coney Island shoreline, including reconstruction of the historic Riegelmann Boardwalk, the creation of 1,500 new homes, and major renovations to the Abe Stark Sports Center. The announcement, made Thursday by Mayor Eric Adams, NYC Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa, and NYCEDC President and CEO Andrew Kimball, fulfills commitments outlined in the mayor’s 2025 State of the City address.
“Coney Island is home to thousands of hard-working New Yorkers who work hard every day to leave behind something better for their families. Life here shouldn’t be a rollercoaster, which is why our administration is committing $1 billion to rejuvenate America’s playground and build a better Coney Island,” Adams said. “With this investment, we are going to deliver 1,500 new mixed income homes to the waterfront—25 percent of which will be affordable—and restore the over 100-year-old Riegelmann Boardwalk to its former glory. We’re building new streets and sewers, improving the public realm, and renovating the Abe Stark Sports Center so this beloved rink and recreation hub can continue bringing joy to New Yorkers and visitors alike. To be the best city on the globe to live and raise a family, you need affordable homes and public spaces, and that’s why today’s announcement is a transformative next step in building the neighborhoods of tomorrow—today.”
The $1 billion project will revamp all 2.7 miles of the Riegelmann Boardwalk across multiple phases. NYC Parks and NYCEDC will lead the restoration, which aims to enhance resiliency against climate change while preserving the boardwalk’s historic character. Plans include upgrades to public facilities such as restrooms, lifeguard stations, and shade pavilions, alongside improvements to streets, sewers, and public access points.
“Coney Island is a New York icon that gives millions of New Yorkers and visitors a welcoming, vibrant space to enjoy the waves, fresh air, and world-famous attractions. With this major investment in the boardwalk’s resiliency, we’re preparing the boardwalk to safely welcome visitors for another 100 years,” said Rodriguez-Rosa. “As climate change continues to cause more extreme weather events and rising sea levels, we’re investing in our public spaces across the city to ensure resiliency while enhancing what New Yorkers love about them. By reconstructing the entire historic boardwalk and renovating the beloved Abe Stark Sports Center, we’re also making Coney Island a safer and more welcoming place for families and New Yorkers of all ages. I’m grateful to our partners across the Adams administration and in the community for their commitment to this project, and I’m proud to be part of an administration that appreciates how critical our public greenspaces are as living infrastructure.”
A separate $42 million renovation will modernize the Abe Stark Sports Center, a neighborhood recreational hub with a popular ice-skating rink that opened in 1970. The project will upgrade skating facilities, add a new entrance, and improve signage, better integrating the center with the surrounding community.
“Today’s $1 billion commitment to rebuild the historic Riegelmann Boardwalk is exactly the kind of investment Coney Island deserves—making the boardwalk safer, more accessible, and more resilient for generations to come,” said Kimball. “This builds on NYCEDC’s broader work across Coney Island: advancing new housing, modernizing streets and sewers, and delivering public realm upgrades, including the renovation of the Abe Stark Sports Center. We’re proud to partner with our NYC Parks and city colleagues to strengthen this beloved neighborhood, support local small businesses, and keep Coney Island a place where New Yorkers come together year round.”
The redevelopment also advances the city’s ongoing affordable housing agenda. One project in Coney Island West will transform an 80,000-square-foot city-owned parking lot into over 500 mixed-income units, with 25 percent designated as affordable. Ground-floor retail and new structured parking are also planned, alongside peninsula-wide flood resiliency measures.
The Adams administration has made historic strides in housing since taking office, creating, preserving, or planning more than 433,250 homes, and establishing record numbers of permanently affordable units. In December 2024, the city passed the “City of Yes for Housing Opportunity” plan, projected to deliver 80,000 new homes over 15 years and invest $5 billion in infrastructure improvements.
The mayor’s “City of Yes for Families” strategy, introduced in his 2025 State of the City address, builds on these efforts by creating more family-friendly neighborhoods, expanding homeownership support, and integrating housing with schools, playgrounds, grocery stores, libraries, and transit. Tenant protections have also been strengthened through citywide expansion of the “Partners in Preservation” program and the Homeowner Help Desk.
The $1 billion commitment is part of a larger vision to protect, enhance, and modernize Coney Island for residents and visitors alike. With upgrades to historic landmarks, community recreational hubs, affordable housing, and city infrastructure, city officials say the initiative will ensure that Coney Island remains a safe, accessible, and vibrant destination for decades to come.