Council advances Claridge Hotel redevelopment plan; plan keeps hotel component and adds residential units including affordable units

The Atlantic City Council on June 18 moved forward with a redevelopment plan for the Claridge Hotel block that combines rehabilitation of the existing hotel with new residential construction on an adjacent surface parking lot.

The Planning Director (staff) told the council the project will “be a substantial rehabilitation of the existing Claridge Hotel, and new construction, which is immediately to the north of the existing Claridge Hotel,” and said the redevelopment will be built in phases. The director said the renovated Claridge would retain hotel units while both the rehabilitation and the new construction would include residential apartments and a share of affordable units.

Why it matters: The Claridge site is a prominent Boardwalk property; the redevelopment plan would return underused surface parking to active residential use and preserve a hotel component while adding housing units and some affordable housing.

Council members asked for clarification about the new structure on the former surface parking area and whether parking would be provided; the planning director said parking for the new units will be addressed in the redevelopment plan.

The ordinance (identified in the agenda as ordinance 6f) authorizing the redevelopment plan was advanced on first reading with eight votes in the affirmative. The council did not set zoning or design approvals beyond the plan itself; further site-level approvals and permitting will follow the redevelopment framework approved by the council.

No final construction permits were approved at the June 18 meeting; the vote authorizes the redevelopment plan so the developer and city planning staff can proceed with phased implementation under the plan’s controls.