ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — It’s been more than a week since the implosion heard around Atlantic City.
After 30 years in operation and several more years as part of the city’s skyline, Trump Plaza went down in a matter of seconds on Feb. 17. What remains is just a massive pile of rubble.
Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small expects that to be cleaned up in time for summer.
“By the time the season comes, it will be reduced to ground level, so it won’t be as unattractive, which is very important to us,” he said.
Then what? That’s for city officials and Trump Plaza owner Carl Icahn to decide.
“If I had it my way, it will be some mixed-use development with some form of family entertainment,” Small said. “Something we can embrace the outdoor area. It’s a lot of space, a lot of creativity that can be done. I know a lot of developers are going to be more interested now that it’s open land versus construction.”
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But they may not want to put all their chips on a new casino in that space.
“We have to diversify our offers,” Small said. “We can’t be dependent on casino gaming anymore. We’re always going to be a casino town, don’t get that wrong. We love the jobs, the opportunities they provide. But it’s time to take a shift to make a difference from every other near and far that now has casinos.”
Because the property is right off the Atlantic City Expressway, Small said this prime real estate.
“When does oceanfront, center city become available?” he asked. “It just doesn’t really happen, so we get one chance to get this right.”