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MANHATTAN CLOSEUP. CONEY ISLAND
Horace Bullard parked his aquamarine luxury car beside an abandoned lot and gazed at the future of Coney Island. The lot is covered with weeds. Nothing is left of the once-famous Steeplechase Park. Rusted wires dangle from the 271-foot parachute jump.
But Bullard envisions thousands of happy youngsters on millions of dollars worth of rides. The Coney Island of the past, he said, an amusement park of ferris wheels, freak shows and roller coasters, will rise again within two or three years.
Bullard, 48, grew up in a poor neighborhood of East Harlem. He made his fortune as founder of the Kansas Fried Chicken chain, and has spent the past five years preparing to rebuild Steeplechase Park on 17 acres of private and city land along Surf Avenue.
After dozens of meetings with city officials and countless delays, Bullard said, he now believes that most of the obstacles are behind him. He's just waiting for the word that he can begin building. "I am here to tell you that I am real. My plan...