Deals may maul Coney faves
BY DEBORAH KOLBEN
DAILY NEWS WRITER
A shopping mall developer has quietly snatched up property along Coney Island’s famed Boardwalk - sparking fears that beloved attractions could be replaced by a mall.
Thor Equities has bought property on W. 12th St., where a go-kart track stands, and along the Boardwalk where “Dunk the Creep,” a souvenir shop and a gyro stand reside.
The businesses were told to be out by the end of the summer, owners told the Daily News.
“We are looking for a new home,” said the manager of the gyro stand, who goes by the name Joey Clams. “Are they going to take us out and replace us with an Applebee’s or Olive Garden? Knishes, hot dogs, shish kebab - that’s what makes Coney Island.”
Other operators also are worried because their landlords have only offered short-term leases with sky-high rent hikes.
Shop owners and landowners said Kings County GOP Chairman Hy Singer, who owns several Coney Island properties, was negotiating with Thor to sell land whose tenants include Nathan’s on the Boardwalk and the venerable Ruby’s bar.
Singer refused to comment.
A Thor spokesman was tight-lipped about what the developer plans to build, but promised it would revive the area.