A national developer owned By President Donald Trump‘s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, took a key step forward in its quest to build an apartment complex on a long-vacant plot of land in Atlantic City.
The New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority approved the land-use plans for Kushner’s proposed 180-unit apartment complex that would sit on the waterfront site known as Caspian Point.
Kushner’s company already owns the property on the inlet.
“180 units is going to be a game changer, and we’re just happy that the Kushner family has confidence in the great City of Atlantic City to develop it,” said Mayor Marty Small.
Stephanie Marshall, an Atlantic City councilmember and neighborhood resident, said the project shows that people want to move back to the Jersey Shore casino town.
“People are eager to come back into Atlantic City, whether it’s second home or full time,” she said. “So, I am super excited about that.”
However, some people who live in the neighborhood have expressed concerns about more traffic and congestion, as well as the size of the project.
“Apartments aren’t fitting into the neighborhood, especially four story buildings where you have two story family homes that have been here for over 40 years,” said Tom Lamaine, a neighborhood resident.
The Kushner project is the second apartment complex to be approved by the NJCRDA. The government body has already approved a separate project not far from the Ocean Casino Resort that will have more than 150 single-family townhomes.
According to Mayor Small, Atlantic City is riding high on investor confidence and is set for a real estate jackpot.
“Now is the time to get in,” Small said. “If you replay this interview two years from now, people gonna say, ‘Man, we should have got in when we could.'”