Atlantic City Revitalization Plan Exposed…

Expanding Gardner’s Basin part of A.C. revitalization plan

Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian wants to add restaurants, parking, and a park, and expand the aquarium in his vision of Gardner’s Basin. GREGG KOHL

 

ATLANTIC CITY – In the shadow of the casinos lies Gardner’s Basin – a quaint, fishing village-like swath in the city’s Northeast Inlet that many consider a gem, one that’s been hidden and underused for decades.

That’s about to change as Atlantic City, faced with an uncertain economic future that must depend less on gambling, hopes an ambitious plan to transform Gardner’s Basin into a destination like Baltimore’s Inner Harbor will jump-start a revival.

Construction is expected to start in spring on work to make way for the Gardner’s Basin expansion. It is an 18-month, $50 million project. The Army Corps of Engineers will cover $35 million to extend the Boardwalk to the basin for the first time since the Great Atlantic Hurricane of 1944 damaged that section and will add a seawall along portions of the Boardwalk.

When we complete the Boardwalk, it will connect Ventnor all the way to Gardner’s Basin,” Elizabeth Terenik, director of Atlantic City Planning and Development, said. “Those who live down beach will be able to ride their bike all the way to Gardner’s Basin and back. It’s a quality-of-life and tourist issue.”

Terenik said Gardner’s Basin had been designated a redevelopment area, which means the city can adopt special zoning, approve tax abatements for projects that meet certain criteria, and select a redeveloper.

Atlantic City Council on Wednesday approved the Northeast Inlet redevelopment project, which includes the expansion of Gardner’s Basin. It also approved expanding the Steel Pier to house a 205-foot-high Ferris wheel with enclosed, climate-controlled cars and a zip-line ride.

Philadelphia developer Bart Blatstein will soon present his plans to recreate the Pier at Caesars, a failed high-end mon the 50-yard line of the Boardwalk that sits atop the ocean about two miles from Gardner’s Basin.

Four doors down from Caesars and farther north on the Boardwalk, Stockton University will open a new campus in the fall at the former Showboat casino.

All are part of Atlantic City’s turning the page, or moving on, after four casinos closed last year and pared 8,000 jobs.

“With calamity, it brings everyone to the table,” Guardian said. “Our intention is to round out the city way beyond just gaming.”

It’s part of the city’s bigger plan to redevelop the whole Northeast Inlet and restore what Mayor Don Guardian calls the “wow factor” to the Boardwalk.

Gardner’s Basin is on city-owned land that totals about 22 acres. The existing tenants occupy about eight acres. They lease the buildings and pay the city rent. They include the Atlantic City Aquarium, which was built in 1999 and is open year-round. There are two restaurants, the Back Bay Ale House and Gilchrist. A third, Scales Grill & Deck Bar, was damaged in Hurricane Sandy and replaced with two food trucks.

About 10 mini-craft shops that are closed in winter and that reopen in May line a walkway to the aquarium. There’s also a surf shop and art gallery, both open spring through fall.

Of the remaining 14 open acres, Guardian envisions adding up to a half-dozen dining establishments and at least 30 more craft and retail shops. He wants to expand and move the amphitheater that seats up to 5,000, enlarge the aquarium, and add a parking lot and a fishermen’s park with shaded areas.

Targeted completion for the expansion is the end of 2016. The final price tag is yet to be determined. It depends, Guardian said, on who comes forward to be part of it. Requests for proposals will go out to developers in the first week of March.

Guardian said the cash-strapped city planned to lease or sell the open land to collect rent or property taxes.