Atlantic City’s vacant former airport Bader Field remains one of the most prized pieces of land in the resort, but that no longer seems to involve casinos.
The city sought requests for proposals to develop the tract, but none of those proposals involved new casino construction. Before Atlantic City’s casino revenue began to nosedive in 2006, casinos were regularly proposed for the site.
Here’s a look at how plans for the site now shape up:
Florida developer Glenn Straub, who recently completed the purchase of the former Revel casino, proposed returning the site to an aviation center. He wants to attract “business aviation” and “aviation entertainment.”
Straub’s plan was submitted through Atlantic Adventures LLC and said the business aviation activities would “provide services to pilots and their aircraft,” including fuel and maintenance. The plan’s aviation entertainment aspect would include “championship Aerobatic teams, beautiful hot air balloon festivals, freefall parachute jumps, and a variety of experimental aircraft.”
Link International Design, a Houston-based company, proposed constructing a “Paralympic Center and sports complexes—soccer, tennis, basketball, skate and bike park, etc.—that would draw in sports enthusiasts from across the globe.”
The company said it has obtained “verbal agreements” with a variety of companies, including Stereo Live, a Houston concert venue, and Houston Toros, a field management company that would maintain Bader’s new sports facilities.
Bader Field Sports LLC, based in Midland Park, NJ, proposed constructing “a world class destination for multi-sports, including soccer, baseball, softball, lacrosse, field hockey, and more.”
The BFS team is composed of DT Allen Contracting and Dakota Excavating, both New Jersey-based companies, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
Sora Northeast LLC, based in Sewell, NJ, proposed connecting a sports complex at the site to another sports facility the company has proposed for nearby Vineland NJ. Sora, which is the lead developer behind the $300 million Rowan Boulevard mixed-use project in Glassboro, among other projects, is seeking Vineland’s approval for America’s Sports Resort, a baseball-centric project, according to the Press.
The company said the Atlantic City development would focus on soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey, and would include an “Athletes Village,” a hotel, a marina, and a mixed-use complex, and an indoor training facility.
The city has 45 days to respond to the proposals.
