Sandcastles

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Construction has begun in earnest on the Atlantic City Gateway project–the much anticipated site of a satellite campus for Stockton University and future headquarters for South Jersey Gas, as well as parking. Because what would an Atlantic City development project be without a parking lot? Backhoes or diggers or somethings had made a little perfunctory scratch on the big vacant lot at the foot of Albany Avenue and the boardwalk earlier this summer, but then they went back into hibernation. Now they’re awake again and building sandcastles. 

The Atlantic County Improvement Authority earlier this week was set to issue $128 million in municipal bonds to finance the project, which is eventually supposed to house a couple of hundred students in the most ethnically diverse census district in the state (and the birthplace of yours truly). In the meantime, new construction in Atlantic City.

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UPDATE: Atlantic City’s MUA Seeks Bankruptcy Advisor To Tackle Casino Trustee’s Claims

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This story was updated on Monday Sept. 26 to include new information in the first three paragraphs and other details from an interview with the MUA’s executive director. Atlantic City’s Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA) is seeking bankruptcy counsel, according to a request for qualifications published on the authority’s website on Friday. The MUA is seeking legal advice after it was sued by the trustee supervising the bankruptcy of Trump Plaza and Trump Taj Mahal casinos, the water authority’s executive director Bruce Ward said on Monday. The MUA was a vendor to the casinos and the legal action is part of a typical bankrupcty process, Ward said.

More about: Atlantic City, Atlantic City, atlantic city municipal utilities authority, bruce ward, emergency loan, mua

Design Co Seeks More Money For Stockton Aviation Park

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The infrastructure company that was awarded a contract to design the first building at the Stockton Aviation Research and Technology Park already wants to be paid more. Infrastructure company AECOM was last month granted an additional $41,234.00 for an amended contract worth $738,390.00, according to the minutes of the Atlantic County Improvement Authority’s August meeting. The extra money is needed because when AECOM submitted its original bid, the scope of the project was not yet finalized, according to the minutes. “Therefore, certain assumptions were made, and while some of these assumptions were correct, some were inaccurate,” the minutes state. Among the changes are an allowance to design a “Thunder Room” (a kind of top-notch conference room, apparently) and a roof-top deck.

More about: Atlantic City, Business, Government, aecom, atlantic county, atlantic county improvement authority, federal aviation administration, joseph ingemi

What’s The Deal With Atlantic City’s Municipal Utilities Authority?

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Remember when Atlantic City needed to borrow $73 million from the state to pay its bills? Well, the Queen of Resorts got her money, but it came with a few strings attached. One involves Atlantic City’s Municipal Utilities Authority, which provides water to more than 8,000 residents, businesses and vacation-home owners.  

The small print of the loan creates a Catch-22 situation for the city and the water authority.  The loan says Atlantic City’s Council must agree by September 15 to an ordinance that would hand over the water authority, in the event the city is unable to pay back the loan. But the loan also says that if City Council can’t agree on that ordinance before September 15, it could wind up handing over the water authority’s assets anyway, since it would be violating its borrowing terms. And some people worry that if the city agrees to the ordinance, it will give the state a chance to seize the water authority assets anyway, even if the city follows the terms of the agreement.

More about: Atlantic City, Homepage Featured, american water, Atlantic City, atlantic city municipal utilities authority, atlantic county, emergency loan, MUA assets

Escalating The Surreality Stakes

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It wasn’t the first time he’d threatened to pack his bags and abandon the Revel. In fact, it wasn’t even the first time he’d threatened to do so this month. But Glenn Straub, the mercurial owner of the $2.4 billion defunct casino at the northeast end of the Atlantic City boardwalk, stormed out of a land-use meeting early Thursday afternoon, amid unspecific accusations of blackmail, saying he would “shut down” the mega-resort, which he bought for pennies on the dollar in 2015, “forever.” Revel is the second-largest building in the state of New Jersey, and the largest god-damned casino hotel in Atlantic City history. It has been closed for more than two years.

More about: Atlantic City, Business, Homepage Featured, Atlantic City, atlantic county, CRDA, Glenn Straub, planning

Straub, CRDA Target September For Former Revel Plan Approval

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Glenn Straub, the developer who owns the Atlantic City property formerly known as the Revel casino, and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA), are hoping to finish the approval process to reopen the site by the end of September, according to documents filed with CRDA on Wednesday. Straub has been complaining to local media about the drawn-out approval process, while CRDA, which governs planning in Atlantic City’s Tourism District, rejected the earlier application because of concerns about access to the site, since Straub wanted to locate a ropes course in the building’s former main entrance. A successful relaunch for the property is key for cash-strapped Atlantic City and, more widely, for Atlantic County. The Revel property is a top taxpayer and the $2.6 billion site has been a looming empty eyesore on the boardwalk since closing in September 2014. The application that Straub made on appeal includes concessions and suggested changes to the vehicle access to the property.

More about: Atlantic City, Business, Atlantic City, atlantic county, CRDA, Glenn Straub, planning, polo north

Atlantic City’s Trees Battle Hostile Conditions

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Atlantic City’s trees, which already contend with hurricanes, salt water, pollution, icy winters and scorching concrete, are now also showing wear and tear as a result of the city’s financial crisis and its haphazard patchwork of planning rules. Since the Public Works department’s budget was slashed amid city-wide cuts, there are fewer people on hand to prune, water and care for the city’s greenery. Now, damaged trees are causing hazards and few replacement trees are being planted. City trees matter because, as every elementary school kid knows, they give us oxygen. But they can also help increase property values, make a city more attractive and do useful things like provide shade and suck up storm-water runoff.  The importance of having a so-called urban forest is part of state and city law.

More about: Atlantic City, Environment, absecon island, Atlantic City, casino reinvestment development authority, CRDA, environment, saltwater