A $100 million year-round water park gives families more to do in Atlantic City
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (AP) — The weather was terrible for the first full day of summer Thursday: rainy, cold and windy.
But it was perfect for what Bart Blatstein sells.
The Philadelphia developer is about to open Island Waterpark, a $100 million indoor water recreation facility designed to attract family tourism and give visitors something to do other than gamble as Atlantic City tries to become less dependent on running the slot machine rolls, the roll of the dice or the flip of the cards.
It’s an effort that Las Vegas has made with great success over the past several decades as that city emphasized resort amenities, entertainment and most recently, professional sportsbesides gambling.
The Island Waterpark, which officially opens on June 30, is another big bet on non-gaming fun in the resort town. In recent years, Atlantic City, its nine casinos and a few non-gambling businesses have unveiled attractions including a giant Ferris wheel, upscale dining, and shopping and entertainment options.
“It’s hard to believe we’re really here,” Blatstein said. “I am so excited about this project and the people of Atlantic City. You can bring the family and also have something for the kids to do.”
“Statistics show that people travel up to seven hours to get to a water park,” he said. And we’re not alone here. We have nine casinos, 300 great restaurants and 20,000 hotel rooms. We all benefit from that.”
Blatstein, president of Tower Investments, whose Keystone State projects include the development of mixed-use Northern Liberties in Philadelphia, has been particularly active on the non-gambling front in Atlantic City.
He bought the Showboata former casino hotel, from Stockton University in 2016 and operated it as one non-gaming hotel. He has since added one indoor arcade and go-kart track over there.
Another attempt at non-gambling attractions didn’t go so well. Blatstein purchased the former Pier Shops from Caesars Entertainment for $2.7 million and it reopened in 2015 as The Playground shopping and entertainment complex. But that project fizzled despite what Blatstein said was $52 million in investment, and he sold it back five years later to Caesars for an undisclosed price.
“We make all our money in Philadelphia, and he spends it all in Atlantic City,” said Tower Investments president Brandon Dixon, repeating a joke that he says Blatstein hates.
The project is the first in a long line of proposals for water parks in Atlantic City that actually hold water.
In April 2017, a local investment group led by investor Ronald Young signed a deal to purchase the former Atlantic Club casino, announcing plans for a family-friendly hotel anchored by an indoor water park. But when funding dried up, so was the water park plan.
Young said he was previously turned down in his plan for a water park at the former Bader Field airfield.
In 2012, a group led by developer Tom Sherwood proposed a sailboat-shaped hotel and water park project in the Marina District.
Built on a vacant lot between the Showboat and the Ocean Casino Resort, the Island Waterpark includes 11 slides, a 90-square-foot surfing simulator, and a lazy river that circles much of the park. It also has a Kids’ Cove, a 30-foot treehouse that can be booked for private parties, cabanas, and an adult entertainment area.
Tickets range from $69 to $119 per person, depending on the time of year, with discounts for military, first responders, and senior citizens.
The garage is aggressively patrolled by a private parking enforcement company that requires parking to be paid before a driver exits his or her vehicle to enter the complex. Several attendees at a preview event Thursday night returned to find violation notices on their vehicles threatening to turn the case over to a collection agency if fines were not paid within a week.
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Follow Wayne Parry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WayneParryAC
