On January 12, Philadelphia developer Bart Blatstein, Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. and assorted dignitaries broke ground on a $100 million indoor water park at the former Showboat Casino, now the Showboat Hotel.
The 103,000-square-foot park, to be built along New Jersey Avenue on a vacant lot adjacent to the Showboat Hotel also owned by Blatstein is touted as a year-round entertainment option for families that does not involve gambling, according to the Associated Press.
When completed the park will include all the activities associated with water parks in Ocean City and Wildwood: water slides, pools, a lazy river, food and beverage options, retail space, lounge areas and a party room. The water park will feature parallel slides to allow for racing. A retractable glass-paned roof will cover the entire project, enabling it to be open all year. It will also feature an adult section with alcoholic beverages and amenities, from foot massages to manicures, Blatstein said.
“This water park is going to crush it,” he said in a ceremony under a tent where swimsuit models frolicked in a pool set up for the ceremony. Others took a spin on an indoor surfing machine. Last summer, Blatstein opened Lucky Snake, an arcade at the Showboat almost as big as the water park.
“We need to diversify our entertainment offerings,” Small said.
In his remarks, Small said proposed water parks in Atlantic City have a long history. None of them ever came to fruition. “We’ve all heard stories of water parks coming here to Atlantic City and for whatever reason, it didn’t happen,” he said. “This is happening.”
Blatstein said this one will make it. “I promise you; it’s going to happen.”
The goal is to welcome visitors in time for Memorial Day weekend in 2023.
A 20-year state tax incentive will help fund the park. In 2020, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority designated the project as an entertainment retail district, which means it’s eligible for an annual rebate of as much as $2.5 million in sales tax generated by it for 20 years. There also will be tax breaks on construction materials. In July, Citigroup Inc. inherited the job as underwriter of the $95 million municipal bond sale to finance the construction of the water park.
