Not exactly. But there might be a chance that a casino resort could incorporate land from my alma mater, Atlantic City High School. From, of course, the AC Press:
The city’s white-hot gambling market is attracting another player.
A casino investment group headed by one of the country’s former top gaming executives is buying 11 acres of land from the Atlantic City Hilton Casino Resort for a reported $88 million, according to industry officials familiar with the deal.
The property includes three blocks at the foot of the Route 40-Albany Avenue entryway, at the southernmost tip of the city’s casino zone. Part of the site is where the hulking remains of the ill-fated Dunes Casino Hotel stood for five years before finally being torn down in 1991 after the project went bust.
The land buyers include Wallace R. Barr, former president and chief executive officer of Caesars Entertainment Inc., and Curtis Bashaw, a Cape May hotel owner and real estate developer who once served as executive director of the state Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Limited by the relatively small size of the land, Barr and Bashaw reportedly plan to build a smaller, boutique-style casino complemented by nongaming retail and entertainment attractions. They are already lining up retail tenants, officials said.
Hilton, a tiny property that has struggled financially in recent years, will benefit from the deal by getting a cash infusion. Hilton has been hampered by its relatively remote location at the southern end of the Boardwalk, but a new casino next door would generate extra traffic off the Route 40 corridor.
The new casino would rise from the old Dunes casino site overlooking the ocean between Albany and Trenton avenues. The deal also includes beachfront land between Albany and Hartford avenues and adjacent property where the old Atlantic City High School once stood.
Although the former high school site is not zoned for casino construction, a gaming hall would be allowed on the other two parcels, city and state officials said. The site has been waiting for a new casino ever since the unfinished superstructure of the Dunes casino was torn down.
Cape May developer Bashaw part of group buying A.C. casino land
I’ve said before that that site would be a great spot for a Station-style casino. After visiting Red Rock Station this weekend, I think it’d be an even better fit.
I could see something with a 800-1000 room hotel, casino, and amenities, with room for condo towers nearby. It would really complement that end of the Boardwalk.
Speaking of Red Rock, I’ve added it’s carpeting to the carpet gallery. The casino itself is incredible–if I could design a casino myself, the decor would look a lot like Red Rock. Of course, I’d probably want to put the Boardwalk Clown on the property somewhere too, but it’d be a nice start.
