Market research revealed that the area had the largest collection of writers, dancers, musicians, and artists in the world—all living within a 10- to 15-minute commute of the site. J. Richard Hill & Co. created a plan to embed cultural production, artistic expression, and places of socialization into the revitalized project.

The strategy featured “walks” to connect the beach and boardwalk to the adjacent streets and subways. Various retail neighborhoods, planned along the walks with common merchandising themes, were connected and integrated with major restaurants, iconic retailers, and entertainment destinations.

One-of-a-kind places included a quarter-mile dance walk; a carousel-makers restaurant with an authentic carousel and a wooden horse restoration center; rooftop beer gardens; an indoor water park with two hotels; a new “sideshow” district designed to preserve the art of sideshow entertainers; a new “fun house”; a permanent home for the Big Apple Circus; and an entirely new amusement park centered around the historic Wonder Wheel and Cyclone Roller Coaster, both national historic landmarks.