Parachute Dump

When we first saw the headline "Facelift for Coney Island Parachute Jump?" we thought, "You dumbasses-that work started a few years ago!" And it had: The venerable (and, thank god, protected) 65-year-old Coney ride has been dismantled, cleaned up, pieced back together and repainted, and is well on its way to being restored to working order.

But that's not what the story was about. They were talking instead about the open area around the landmark structure, which became open, undeveloped space after the city roared in and bulldozed the Thunderbolt (because it would've been an eyesore to those millions of Cyclones fans). The Coney Island Development Corp. has decided it's time to fill that space in, and something called the Van Alen Institute has announced a design competition.

This could be very good news. Could, but we doubt in the end that it will be. Coney's been spruced up considerably over the past five or six years, with new rides, games and amenities. Unfortunately, nearly every effort to make Coney safer, cleaner and more family friendly has killed off a little bit of the spirit. Much-needed new public bathrooms were built, but the giant structure on the boardwalk blocks the view of the ocean. The beach itself was littered with cheap-looking palm tree sprinklers. And the corporate presence (even if those Disney rumors never panned out) along the boardwalk is unavoidable.

(We do like that "Shoot the Freak" game, though.) The new Parachute Drop development, which calls for restaurants and "exhibition space," will undoubtedly be one more step along that slow and sad path toward granting Coney Island "Six Flags" status.