A Florida developer who made a $90 million offer for
Atlantic City's shuttered Revel Casino wants to use the site to help end world
hunger, cancer, and resolve other pressing issues like nuclear waste storage.
Glenn Straub's plan is ambitious as it is high-minded.
First, he would add a second tower to the 57-story structure, completing the
original vision of the casino-hotel's developers. The businessman, who owns the
Palm Beach Polo Golf and Country Club, would then convert the complex into a
university where the best and brightest young minds from across the world could
work on the big issues of the day.
"We want people who will cure the world of its
hiccups," said Straub in an interview, his ideas for Atlantic City
spilling out in his rapid-fire manner.
Revel, which cost $2.4 billion to build and opened just
two years ago, closed September 2 after failing to draw bids at a bankruptcy
auction.
Sure, the globe's largest corporations may eventually
lure away some of his students, he conceded, but "we'll make them donate 2
percent of their incomes for their lifetimes," to help fund the project.
He did not elaborate or say how the university would be financed otherwise.
His ideal student would be "free, white and over
21," he said, using a politically incorrect way to describe someone with
no financial obligations.
Straub's bid, made one week after the property closed,
was a ray of sunshine in a town in which three other casinos closed this year
as casinos in neighboring states provided more competition. An auction for the
property is scheduled for Wednesday.
GAMBLING IMPROVEMENTS
Straub also sees ways to make Atlantic City a more
attractive gambling center. He envisions high-speed rail and ferry routes
connecting the resort town to New York City, and an improved airport that could
draw more vacationers.
He also has called for an underground tunnel to connect
casinos in the city, helping protect gaming revenue from declines due to harsh
winter weather.
Still, his ideas for the building have some in the city
wondering.
"When you start off with these kinds of ideas, to my
eyes, it doesn't give you a whole lot of confidence," said Democratic
Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo, who represents Atlantic City. "But this
gentlemen, if he ends up buying it, he's going to have to open those doors,
which equates to employment."
Straub's plans stem from the widely held belief that
Atlantic City's casino market is saturated and that buyers for the shuttered
properties need to find other uses for them.
"Another casino in Atlantic City is not the
answer," Straub said.
Source: Philly.com
No comments:
Post a Comment