The N.J. Economic Development Authority recently approved funding of more than $2.5 million to allow two nonprofits to purchase two vacant buildings in Atlantic City.
Chicken Bone Beach Historical Foundation Inc. will receive a grant award of up to $1,824,569.00 to acquire a vacant property located at 14 N. Mississippi Avenue in Atlantic City’s Ducktown neighborhood.
The project will be a cultural arts center retaining the 200+ seat theater and converting the upper floors for additional classrooms and teaching areas for music and choir lessons, hosting educational programs and art exhibits, and offering concerts and performances.
Ideal Education will receive a grant award of up to $703,000.00 to acquire a vacant 20,000 square foot building located at 7 South Carolina Avenue in the Midtown Neighborhood.
The project will be a community co-op food market and aquaponics farming facility. This project will be strategically located in the heart of Atlantic City and will help address local food security gaps and promote community revitalization efforts in the area. This warehouse building has been vacant for more than twenty years.
The EDA has been working closely with the city to provide needed funding to spur major projects in Atlantic City.
“A building boom is starting in Atlantic City and the NJEDA’s support has helped greatly,” Mayor Marty Small said. “We thank Gov. Murphy, Tim Sullivan, Christina Fuentes, Diana Rogers and the rest of the NJEDA team for their strong commitment. Vacant buildings are a magnet for crime and loitering, and we have attracted a group of experienced developers who are investing in restoring these buildings.”
The city also was successful in securing an NJEDA food security planning grant to lay the groundwork for the cooperative market at 7 South Carolina Avenue. Many other vacant buildings in Atlantic City are being restored, including the Armory Building at 10 S. New York Avenue and La Renaissance located at 190 Kentucky Avenue. Both plan to be ready for occupancy in mid-2025.
Other projects that have received NJEDA funding include the Orange Loop Container Park at 114 Tennessee Avenue, the Surf Lodge at 155 Tennessee Avenue, restoration of the Tate House at 14-20 South Carolina Avenue, a boutique hotel at 2305-2313 Arctic Avenue, and renovation at 11 South Iowa Avenue and 2611-19 Pacific Avenue.
The EDA requires that all of these projects be complete by the end of 2026.
