By Kevin Ostrowski
GRAND ISLAND — For 65 summers, the stretch of Grand Island Boulevard off the I-190 meant one thing to families across Western New York: the clack of the Silver Comet climbing its lift hill. This fall, the rides are still standing, but the gates are shut, and the land is for sale.
Seven weeks after the former Fantasy Island property was listed at just under $5 million, no buyer has been announced, and the town that loves the park is left waiting to learn what comes next. Town leaders say they can do little more than make introductions.
“Several people have reached out to the town in my office inquiring, and we’ve made all the connections we can,” Supervisor Pete Marston told WNYPapers in September. “That’s about the extent of our role. We certainly can’t be the real estate agents on it. We try to facilitate answers for all their questions.”
What is on the market
The listing, handled by Christina Cerrone Pecoraro and Jennifer Ranaletti of HUNT Commercial Real Estate, asks $4,999,900 for 2400 Grand Island Blvd. It covers nearly 75 acres with 53 buildings and about 50 rides, including the Silver Comet wooden coaster. The parcel is zoned as part of the town’s central business district, so any new use would need approval from the Town of Grand Island.
Erie County records cited in local coverage show the land has been owned since 2016 by Store Master Funding IX LLC, and the annual property tax bill is about $73,789.
The brokers have made clear what is, and isn’t, being sold. “The business isn’t for sale, just the land and whatever rides are left there,” Cerrone Pecoraro told Buffalo Business First, as quoted by WNYPapers. “It’s being listed as another amusement park or redevelopment.”
Ranaletti sounded hopeful when the listing went up. “It’s been an icon for many, many, many years,” she told WBEN. “I would say about 90% of the rides are still functional.” She added: “We have already had two showings on the property with possible investors, so honestly, I think it’s going to go quite quickly.”
How the park went dark
The site has changed hands many times. Apex Parks Group closed the park in February 2020. IB Parks & Entertainment reopened it as Niagara Amusement Park & Splash World under a five-year lease that ran from May 2021 to May 2026.
On April 30, IB Parks announced the park would not open this year. Its statement said, “Attendance and revenue levels in recent seasons were not sufficient to sustain the costs of operation and continued investment required to rebuild and operate the park responsibly.” The company promised season passholders full refunds within 30 days. Its other park, Clementon Park in New Jersey, has also closed and is for sale.
The refund question
Months later, not every passholder had been paid back. “I have heard that some people have gotten their refunds. Some people have not,” Marston told WKBW in mid-September. He said he had contacted the park’s general manager to ask, “Where are we at?”
Marston later told the station the park had assigned a project manager to the refunds. “Unfortunately, we have not received any new information nor responses to my messages,” he said.
The Buffalo Chronicle will update this story if IB Parks says how many refunds remain outstanding and when they will be paid. Readers still waiting on a refund can tell us at editor@buffalochronicle.com.
One park, or many parcels?
The big question on the island is whether the next owner keeps the rides running. Marston has said that’s not the town’s call to make.
“I frequently wonder if maybe it just needs to be a different ‘recipe’ here so the property succeeds in the future. But we can’t necessarily pick that, because it’s a private entity,” he told WNYPapers. “We’ll keep an eye on it and do whatever we can.”
He also described the mood in town. “I think everybody’s sad. I think everybody hopes it comes back to some degree as an amusement park because Grand Island loves Fantasy Island,” he said. “I’m disappointed that we’re at an intersection we’re at, but I guess we’ll just have to see how this all works out in the future.”
Some longtime fans have a more practical view of the land’s value. Debi Pogue, who runs the Fans of Fantasy Island Facebook page, said: “Unless some sort of established smaller park operator that is successful is interested in buying and taking over the park, I feel that property is about to get sold and dissected into multiple properties, because there’s more value in that.”
What to watch
Because the site is zoned as part of the town’s central business district, any plan other than reopening the park as it was will likely come before town boards before it can move forward. Grand Island residents can watch Town Board and Planning Board agendas for the first sign of a proposal.
Questions that remain open: Who toured the property, and what did they propose? Will the remaining rides be sold off separately? And will every passholder get the refund they were promised?
This story draws on reporting by WNYPapers, WKBW, WBEN and WGRZ, along with the property listing and IB Parks’ public statement.
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