After the closing of several casinos last year, Atlantic City has been slowly trying to rebuild and rebrand itself as a sought-after tourist destination, complete with shopping, dining, attraction and entertainment options. Earlier this month, Endeavor Property Group proposed plans to revamp the old Atlantic Club Casino Hotel and turn it into an amusement park that will include beachfront bars, restaurants, family style-entertainment and two waterparks.
The park would need a $150-$165 million makeover which would include reconstructing the hotel’s current towers, building timeshare and condo units, and opening up the parking garage to hotel guests and owners. The remodel would also include a restaurant along the Boardwalk and another on the beach for summer tourists. The defunct casino would be repurposed into a space for restaurants, meeting venues and a family center.
The highlight of the redevelopment would be two large water parks, both indoors, to offer year-round entertainment. The first would be built on the lot across the street from the hotel in a space that previously served as the property’s parking lot. The proposed water park would be 81,000 square feet and include family-friendly fun including water slides, a surf area and a wave pool. The second water park would be smaller, only 27,000 square feet, and would be directed at an adult audience with swim up bars and easy access to the Boardwalk.
The park won’t be open until the winter of 2016-2017 at the earliest, but Endeavor Property Group is hopeful the plan will be put into motion sooner rather than later. A public hearing for the proposed project was met with generally positive feedback, with only a few locals expressing their concern about noise issues and parking problems.
