Business View Civil and Municipal | September 2022

43 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 9 So, we’ve got that in mind. We’re trying to give people opportunities to live their dream. If there’s one thing the pandemic has taught us, it’s that you can’t take a job, a career, or a profession, for granted.” Also on the Mayor’s radar are means of transforming Atlantic City into “that family destination,” enhancing the community by bringing in something it hasn’t yet heard or seen. “Atlantic City is going to be a totally different place,” Small contends. “We have tremendous partnerships with our stakeholders, starting with the State of New Jersey. In addition to the Steel Pier, we have North Beach Mini Golf. We have the largest arcade on the East Coast, the Lucky Snake, which now has a new raceway. And next year, we’ll all be sliding down those waterslides at the $100M Island Waterpark.” Already dubbed the largest beachfront indoor waterpark in the world, the 103,000-square-foot attraction at 801 Boardwalk – the brainchild of Philadelphia developer and founder of Tower Investments, Bart Blatstein – will be connected to the Showboat hotel’s Premier Lite tower, and feature a waterpark, retail, dining, and spa options, all under a retractable glass roof. “That’s our biggest project currently under construction,” confirms City Grant Consultant, Jim Rutala. “It’s fully financed and set to open summer of 2023. Mr. Blatstein was very much responsible for the renaissance of the Fishtown area in Northern Philadelphia. Now, he’s 100% invested in Atlantic City, with the goal of moving things forward. Not just for his own Showboat hotel, but for other pockets of the city as well.” The Small Administration is making a concerted effort to redevelop the areas along ‘the beach blocks’ that, surprisingly, given the city’s coastal location, have been ignored for some time. “One area, which was the most rundown of the city, we called it the Dead Zone, is now the Orange Loop,” says Rutala. “It’s a mix of New York Avenue, ATLANT I C C I TY , NEW JERSEY