Atlantic City’s Mayor Marty Small Sr. has announced that MGM Resorts is in the preliminary stages of planning to construct over 1,000 residential units on the vacant land it has owned for years, located adjacent to the Borgata in the Marina District.
In his recent social media updates on Instagram and Facebook, Small revealed that MGM is engaging with national housing developers to turn the approximately 35-acre site into a mixed-use residential community. He referred to this development as “MAJOR BREAKING NEWS,” emphasizing the “HIGH INVESTOR CONFIDENCE,” and shared insights from his meeting with the MGM team regarding their future plans.
“MGM is proposing three residential development initiatives for their land situated between Borgata and Harrah’s,” the mayor stated.
The proposed options vary in size, ranging from 1,000 to 3,500 residential units.
“Now is the time to invest in the GREAT City of Atlantic City,” Small urged, accompanied by hashtags #faith, #resilience, #redemption, #thefutureisours, and #teamsmall.
MGM Atlantic City Development Plans
MGM has owned the land adjacent to Borgata since its launch in 2003. Following Harrah’s (1980) and Golden Nugget (1985), it was expected that these 35 acres would eventually support another casino.
However, with the current saturation of the Atlantic City casino market and new gaming options emerging in New York City, no further gaming developments along the New Jersey coast are anticipated. Consequently, it appears MGM is prepared to repurpose this vacant land.
“We recognize that we won’t permit new casinos in Atlantic City,” Small commented to the Press of Atlantic City. “Thus, they came up with a concept incorporating some retail along with three distinct options.”
MGM has not provided immediate feedback on the housing initiative, specifically whether the company intends to sell the land or maintain ownership in the development. Given MGM’s usual focus outside of residential real estate, the former scenario seems more plausible. The casino company also primarily leases its gaming properties.
Numerous Announcements with Minimal Progress
Mayor Small has frequently highlighted significant redevelopment initiatives that have yet to see fruition.
One prominent example includes the long-unoccupied Bader Field, where in 2023, the mayor led a ceremonial groundbreaking for a proposed $3.4 billion “motorsport living” project centered around a Formula One-grade racetrack. Small touted this plan as a potential “game changer” for Atlantic City, yet construction remains uninitiated.
Another noteworthy case is the former Trump Plaza site. After the casino was demolished in 2021, Small announced plans to convert the area into a mixed-use destination. Over five years later, the beachfront plot remains untouched.