When Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino imploded in 2021, it carried with it the hope for a new redevelopment plan once the dust settled. Then again, this is Atlantic City, where such plans have been plentiful through the years but turning them into bricks and mortar has often proven elusive.
And let’s not forget that the demolition did not completely sweep the remains of Trump Plaza from the streets. The tower which houses the one piece of the complex that is a success—Rainforest Café—remains intact. So does a non-functioning parking garage.
There should be no reason why neither can remain in the next chapter, PlayNJ said.
The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, the state agency which controls such issues in the tourism district, saw the potential to use the site as an end point in a development corridor with the convention center as the other end. The two points would connect via a new retail space to the Boardwalk.
Months after the implosion, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) awarded Atlantic City a $50,000 planning grant to repurpose the property where the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino once stood.
The 21st Century Redevelopment Program provides grants to redevelop vacant or underused spaces that can have a significant economic local impact. But not this time. The land remains up for sale.
“As you may have seen, the Trump Plaza site is up for sale, although there is no redevelopment plan at this time,” Andrew Kramer, public information officer for Mayor Small, said in an email to PlayNJ.
The EDA money had been “intended to conduct a study to identify the necessary criteria to allow a stalled project such as development on this site to move forward,” Kramer said.
The city talked a good game in 2021. Atlantic City officials previously said that they would like to turn the lot into a family attraction along the boardwalk.
“The 21st Century Redevelopment Program will allow the city of Atlantic City to continue the movement to diversify the local economy,” Barbara Woolley-Dillon, director of Atlantic City’s Department of Planning and Development, said in September 2021. “This grant will help us create a comprehensive redevelopment plan to better position the city as a year-round destination for residents and visitors.”
There hasn’t been any mention of whether the money remains for the city’s use.
