Brooklyn's Offsite Options For Meetings Proliferate
Brooklyn is in the midst of a redevelopment that will put it squarely on the map for offsite event venues.
In September, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced an $83 million redevelopment plan for Coney Island, the seaside amusement park.
The project calls for the area's transformation into a year-round destination, with Stillwell Avenue becoming Stillwell Midway, a public open space connecting existing amusements with new restaurants, shops and entertainment venues.
There also will be a new hotel and spa on Surf Avenue, a multicultural community center and improvements to the amusement venues, the New York Aquarium and the famed boardwalk. The boardwalk upgrade will be completed in 2007 and the cultural center by 2009.
In addition, bus operator Gray Line Worldwide last year launched a new tour package to Coney Island, its second foray into Brooklyn. In 2003, it began a trolley service to the borough, including stops at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, historic Green-Wood Cemetery and Prospect Park.
Last month also saw Carnival Cruise Lines' transatlantic luxury liner Oriana, with nearly 1,800 passengers, become the first ship to pull into Pier 12, a preview of things that are to come for this changing waterfront neighborhood.
The city is in the midst of building a $45 million Brooklyn Cruise Terminal at Piers 11 and 12, which is expected to be completed in April 2006. The early arrival was due to a backlog at the New York Cruise Terminal on Manhattan's West Side—six ships arrived for its five docks.
Norwegian Cruise Line also will use the new facility when it opens in the spring.
Though the mayor lost his fight for a New York Jets football stadium on Manhattan's West Side, along with his bid for the 2012 Olympics, Brooklyn is poised to welcome the National Basketball Association's New Jersey Nets to a new stadium at the downtown Brooklyn Atlantic Yards, which currently is scheduled for a 2008 opening.
An adjoining mixed-use complex will have retail and entertainment venues. The site is adjacent to Atlantic Terminal, the third-largest transportation hub in New York City, where nine subway lines and the Long Island Railroad converge.
The New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge is undergoing extensive room additions to accommodate all the anticipated new business to the borough. The renovations began in January and will include an additional 24 stories, 280 guest rooms and new retail space on Adams St.