At least one of the two new “boutique” licenses approved for Atlantic City has a strong contender, Hard Rock International. The company, best known for its rock and roll brand—which includes cafés, casinos and concerts—has submitted plans to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for its proposed “small-scale” casino. 

But Hard Rock may not make it that small. Topping out at 850 rooms, the $275 million project surpasses the state requirement of a 200-room minimum.  The casino licenses, signed into law by Governor Chris Christie in January, requires one operator to have as few as 200 rooms, while the other would be required to expand up to 500 rooms within five years. Hard Rock, owned by the Florida-based Seminole Indian tribe, is going for door number two.

Construction Plans

According to details contained in Hard Rock's application with the DEP for a Coastal Area Facility Review Act permit—a prerequisite for building major projects on the New Jersey shore—the casino will be built along two blocks at the Boardwalk at Albany Avenue. It would be built in phases. Phase I would begin with 54,000 square feet of casino floor space and a smaller hotel tower of 200 rooms, and would include a parking garage, retail, dining and entertainment venues. The second phase would increase gaming space to 100,000 square feet and add a second tower with 850 hotel rooms.

In addition, the company plans to use a section of public beach for a Hard Rock Café built over the Boardwalk and jutting out over the ocean. A walkway would connect the two towers. The rebuilt Boardwalk would also include outdoor deck areas to allow the public to enjoy the beachfront.

Features of the Hard Rock include:

 • 11,763-square-foot, multi-level Hard Rock Café built over the Boardwalk and ocean. The area would also include two pools and beach access

 • 12,024-square-foot Hard Rock museum with a 843-square-foot rock shop

 • 10,294 square feet of retail and entertainment space

 • 2,822 square-foot casino bar, 12,274 square-foot buffet, 5,383 square-foot steakhouse, and 7,403 square-foot improv comedy club.

 • 8,159 square-foot Martorano’s Italian restaurant

•  7,185-square-foot spa and 2113-square-foot fitness center and pool

 • 30,022 square-foot event center (increased by 29,698 square feet in Phase II)

 • 23,000 square feet of outdoor decks

Changing the AC Landscape

Hard Rock's plans would significantly alter the infrastructure of Atlantic City.

The project would include a 3,868-space parking garage across the street on the former site of the Atlantic City High School. A short tunnel is proposed to access the garage, which would clip a portion of O’Donnell Park. In addition, Hard Rock is seeking grant permission to build a bridge over Atlantic Avenue between the beachfront casino and the parking garage.

All told, the casino is asking Atlantic City to hand over 26,938-square-feet of Albany Avenue to make room for their porte cochere and to alter the turning lane on Albany and Atlantic avenues. In addition, the company is seeking to use a section of O’Donnell Park for their 25-foot-wide parking garage tunnel.

The land was acquired for $79.22 million by the city through the AC Gateway project in 2006. Atlantic City owns six parcels, including the site of the First World War Monument, worth an estimated $32 million. According to the Atlantic City Press, City Planning Director Keith Mills said state environmental officials might make substantial changes to the Hard Rock plan, though the development would increase tax revenue. Several businesses around the site have expressed their favor for the plan in the anticipation of increased business.

In response, the city is doing everything it can to accommodate the casino giant, filing a request with the DEP for permission to divert one-third of an acre of public beach to accommodate the Hard Rock Café. The city also plans to clean or demolish any abandoned or blighted buildings around the site.

“The Atlantic City property will offer first-rate cuisine, exhilarating gaming experiences, high-profile entertainment and high-energy night life,” the Hard Rock stated in the DEP application. “The combination of these public improvements will add significantly to the quantity and quality of public open space in this area of the beach and Boardwalk. These new and expanded open space amenities will replace a deteriorated and disturbed area of the beach and Boardwalk.”

By Robert Rossiello

The Art Director for Casino Connection Magazine, Robert Rossiello is an artist, a photographer, and a free-lance writer. His work has been published in several literary magazines and his visual art has been exhibited throughout the Jersey shore. In addition to his designing Casino Connection, he also contributes articles for The Tides, Monthly Mixologist and Multimedia sections.

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