Atlantic City Boardwalk Committee Meeting Minutes August 8, 2018

Stockton Atlantic City Boardwalk
Stockton Atlantic City

Brian Jackson, Chief Operating Officer of Stockton University Atlantic City was the featured speaker at the latest Boardwalk Committee meeting.

What did we learn?

  • 1,000 parking spaces will be available at SJ Gas lot
  • 869 parking spaces available for Stockton
  • SJ Gas will house 200 employees
  • 1400 parking spots at Atlantic Club
  • Residential neighborhood parking will be enforced

Stockton Atlantic City Boardwalk Campus

State has designated Stockton as an ‘Anchor Institution’. What will economic impact be on the city? We shall see.

Questions were raised. How will local eateries benefit from Stockton? Will students venture out from the safety & convenience of the Boardwalk campus? Plenty of dining options will be available on-campus, in the Academic Center.

5500 square feet of food choices, complete with outdoor seating for 200. It’s open to the public too.

  • Southside Bistro
  • AC Chop’d & Wrap’d
  • Carluccio’s Coal Fired Pizza
  • Sushi On the Go

On July 18, local residents were shrugged off by the Mayor and Council as they asked, ‘what’s going on?’

WATCH VIDEO

Stockton University District Overlay

Goal: Encourage and promote economic development. Strengthen connection between Tourism and Bader Field Districts

  • Stockton University says they won’t eliminate any existing permitted uses of property within district
  • Designation of district area as redevelopment area. That means almost anything can happen
  • Designate Stockton University as a re-developer. They can do almost anything.
  • Stockton doesn’t need permission from Mayor Gilliam or City Council.
  • University has total authority to approve or disapprove projects or uses within district.
  • Stockton will have condemnation rights within district area.

Questions and other Info.

A big chunk of Bader Field is no longer in control of The City of Atlantic City. Stockton will take over portion of Bader Field, which includes baseball field called Sand Castle Stadium.

What does Atlantic City get for giving up this valuable property? Council President Marty Small has yet to comment.

Stockton Atlantic City Boardwalk Campus
Stockton Atlantic City Boardwalk Campus

Questions for Bob Preston – Interim Planning Director for City of Atlantic City.

  • Inlet Boardwalk Ramps to be added & installed at Oriental, Dewey, Grammercy and Maine.
  • Sea wall from Caspian to New Hampshire needs to be built by DEP before anything else can be completed.
  • Bike-way from Margate to Gardner’s Basin has been funded.
  • Plan for Kushner Property (near former Starns)? Legal issues involved. City decided to waive reverter clause years ago.
  • Who’s responsible for cleaning Oscar McClinton Park in the inlet? SID?
  • Extension of Boardwalk – Last phase. Research, permits to soon go out to bid. DEP is responsible for Boardwalk building. There is different funding for bulkhead and promenade.
  • Fishing the Inlet. Will City sit down with CRDA to make it safer? Doubtful due to insurance issues.
  • Latest version of Master Plan is CRDA website. Why not City website?

Will CRDA use casino tax dollars to fund controversial, $1 million Tennessee Ave street-scape project? What about Kentucky Ave? Atlantic Ave is still not paved. Streets are still dark. Need better lighting. Funding Tenn Ave would not help the average resident or small business.

More Questions and Concerns:

Who’s responsible for cleaning Oscar McClinton Park, down by the inlet? The County owns the park and contracts with SID for grass cutting, trash removal, fertilizer application, hard scaling, structures and irrigation maintenance.

Land use regulations are confusing. No home rules. Who controls what? Residents kept in dark. City Council playing dumb. There should be a Planning Board of city residents. Not enough public input in decisions made by CRDA. Lance Landgraf not being transparent.

Can the state do what they want anytime? Yes. City Council and mayor neglected to tell residents. State can override CRDA and City.

Land-use in Atlantic City Tourism District Controlled by CRDA Zoning Czar, Lance Landgraf.

Too many CRDA barriers with existing structure and zoning put in place by CRDA Zoning Czar, Lance Langraf.

Too many roadblocks. 2 sets of rules for land use in the city and CRDA. More restrictions for residential than commercial.

Bartram Avenue residents not happy with halfway-house in the beach block. Maybe another one coming on north side of Bartram too. Tennessee Ave still a major crime problem in Atlantic City.

Bob Preston, Interim Planning Director

TV screens too loud around Kennedy Plaza. This comment lead to further discussions that at times all the tvs are too loud.  We understand that people pay for advertising, but causes more problems than good.   The National Anthem needs to be louder.

The Army Corp is researching bulkheads in back bay. Meeting in Ventnor September 12 . Ventnor Educational Community Complex, 400 N. Lafayette  Ave. 6PM -8PM.

Thanks to Sherrie Kendall. Boardwalk Committee Vice Chair/Liaison.

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