Park Place Will Move Ahead with $75M Parking Garage

Culminating a series of discussions between Park Place execs and top state officials, Park Place CEO Wallace Barr has revealed that work would proceed on an 11-story, 3,200-space facility that will cost $75 million to build. Company officials say they will start construction in January and have it ready during the second quarter of 2005. Plans for the Caesar's tower are still on hold, however, although that's more likely the result of market conditions.

"This new structure, which will be formally known as the Caesar's Transportation Center, represents another major investment by our company in Atlantic City," Barr said in making the announcement. "The garage will enable us to make life easier and more convenient not only for our own guests, but for all the new visitors Atlantic City is expected to attract for its new retail developments and events at Boardwalk Hall."

When it's done, the project will give Park Place almost 11,500 parking places in parking-starved city, which draws almost 25 million visitors by car a year out of a total visitor count of 33 million. Besides Caesar's, the company's other casino/hotel properties in teh city are Bally's and the Atlantic City Hilton.

The new facility, located on a site bounded by Atlantic, Pacific, Arkansas and Michigan avenues, will be utilized by more than just Caesar's. A considerably smaller parking facility on the site, utilized by the Atlantic City Medical Center, will be razed to make way for it.

Under the plans just unveiled, it will have three pedestrian bridges connecting it to the medical center, to Caesar's Atlantic City and to the Wild West Casino. Designed by SOSH Architects of Atlantic City, it will also be utilized by the Walk, a new retail center being developed by the Cordish Co., and by the Pier at Caesar's, Park Place's $80-million makeover of the Shops at Ocean One, which in a previous incarnation was the Million Dollar Pier.