ATLANTIC CITY - For Inlet residents and businesses here,
the seven-decade wait is over.
Large cranes stationed along the Boardwalk last week
began work on a new seawall to reconnect the South Inlet with the North Inlet
for the first time since 1944, a visible sign of action on a project that had
long been all talk.
For bikers and pedestrians, the seawall's completion will
mean once again being able to travel the Boardwalk seamlessly to the Inlet from
other Shore towns, including Margate and Ventnor.
"This is tremendous for us," said Kyle
Williams, 50, owner of Back Bay Ale House, a restaurant in Gardner's Basin that
has been cut off from Boardwalk foot and bike traffic.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began removing the
damaged Boardwalk on Thursday in a two-year, $50 million project being funded
by city, state, and federal funds.
The Boardwalk will be built on the landward side of the
seawall for the first time, to better protect it after decades of storm damage.
"The seawall has been talked about for [decades],
now it is real," said Jim Rutala of Rutala Associates L.L.C. of Linwood,
N.J., the city's grant consultant. "Without this infrastructure, the Inlet
would never be redeveloped to its full potential."
For Monica Coffey, 50, a communications manager for the
Atlantic County Utilities Authority who is an avid runner and biker, the
project couldn't start soon enough.
Coffey also chairs the Margate City Green Team, which
runs environmental programs and quality-of-life initiatives.
"Just to be able to bike and walk with my family
with small children, as well as run down to Gardner's Basin the entire way from
Margate, is something we've been waiting for," said Coffey, who ran 10
miles from Margate to the Revel casino on the Boardwalk on Sunday - and then
switched to her bike to do all of her errands around Margate and Ventnor.
"We're thrilled any time that we can get to our
destination without getting in a car," Coffey said. "This is an
enhancement to all of that."
The seawall will extend the Boardwalk to Gardner's Basin
for the first time since the Great Atlantic Hurricane of 1944 damaged that
section. The project is part of the city's plan to redevelop the whole
Northeast Inlet.
The Inlet, bordered on three sides by water (the Atlantic
Ocean, Absecon Inlet, and back bay), has a large swath of vacant land.
The existing tenants occupy about eight acres of the
22-acre basin, leasing the buildings and paying the city rent. They include the
Atlantic City Aquarium, Back Bay Ale House, and Gilchrist restaurant. A third
eatery, Scales Grill & Deck Bar, was damaged in Hurricane Sandy and
replaced with two food trucks.
The new seawall has already spurred other non-gaming
development in a city that desperately needs it following the shuttering of
four casinos last year and the disappearance of 8,500 jobs.
The 32-story, 440-room Flagship Resort, a time-share
hotel on North Maine Avenue, will soon start construction on an observation
deck overlooking the Inlet and Boardwalk with a bar and nightclub "to
rival any in South Beach," said Bruce Kaye, owner and chief executive of
FantaSea Resorts. He said the venue will accommodate up to 600 people.
With the deck and other projects, the company's total
investment in the city right now is $15 million.
"The deck will certainly be complemented by the new
Boardwalk extension and repairs currently being completed," said Kaye,
"and will be available to millions of annual visitors who will walk the
Boardwalk from Atlantic City to the Gardner's Basin area."
City officials and council members say leveraging
city-owned land for economic development has been a key goal as gambling
revenue has dwindled. So is improving quality of life for residents, increasing
property values in the Inlet, and enhancing the visitor experience.
"It's going to be an economic driver for that area
and opens it up to a whole new market," said Elizabeth Terenik, director
of planning and development for the city. "It just brings so much
opportunity for the Inlet."
Much of that opportunity would not be possible if not for
the seawall protecting the Boardwalk from storms, hurricanes, and flooding.
"The views from the waterfront properties in the
Inlet are incredible, but in the past they could not be developed because they
were not protected from storms," said Mayor Don Guardian, who rides his
bike to and from work each day. "The seawall provides the needed
protection."
Assemblyman Chris A. Brown (R., Atlantic), who sits on
the Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee, rode his bike Sunday, as he does
every weekend, from Ventnor to the Boardwalk's end.
Brown said the seawall and boardwalk extension were part
of "Atlantic City's transitioning into a destination resort."
"There is nothing more enjoyable than a leisurely
walk or bike ride taking in all the sights and sounds the beach attractions
have to offer," Brown said.
Source: Philly.com
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