The luxury and glass project to convert the former Atlantic Club hotel casino into a “condo-tel” means change for the Atlantic City skyline. It also means bringing a modern look for part of the Chelsea neighborhood.
Plans call for striking exterior glass plating to reflect the ocean and the sky from 23 stories above the Boardwalk. It’s a design that’s more the norm for home owners and vacationers in Florida or Dubai than the South Jersey shore.
Rocco Sebastiani, president of Colosseo Atlantic City Inc., the development firm that owns the the Chelsea neighborhood property, plans to open the new “condo-tel” in 2025. Specific details will be announced at a later date. Sebastiani is looking to covert the old South Tower hotel rooms into 120 condominiums while the North Tower will reopen as boutique holiday.
So who would buy a luxury oceanfront condominium at the refurbished Atlantic Club in Atlantic City?
Interest in Atlantic Club condo project extends beyond NJ
Apparently, there is interest from people around the world and around the block.
Margate realtor Paula Hartman looks at the Atlantic Club and sees a new future in luxury living for Atlantic City.
“I’m so over the moon excited. My phone is already ringing off the hook and I’ve had 500 inquiries from all over the world,” said Hartman.
She leads the Paula Hartman Home Team with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. The group, which includes her son Todd Gordon, is marketing the exclusive condominiums at the refurbished Atlantic Club, a former Atlantic City casino.
The reason for the interest is about the Atlantic Club location, which is Boston Avenue and the Boardwalk and in proximity to the Black Horse Pike which is one of the city’s main entrances.
In recent years, Chelsea has seen a facelift with both Stockton University and AtlantiCare constructing new buildings near Albany Avenue.
Chelsea neighborhood making strides
The Chelsea Economic Development Corporation (EDA) also has made great strides in recent years by developing Chelsea with a neighborhood plan. With a diversity of cultures in Chelsea, the EDA has focused on promoting the arts, supporting the businesses in the neighborhood and providing resources to the residents to earn a living wage. The EDA is working to improve neighborhood safety, pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure.
The Chelsea neighborhood is a .75 square mile area from Annapolis Avenue to Texas Avenue and is home to 10,433 residents, according to the EDA report. Chelsea’s greatest assets are its diversity of people, businesses and institutions, as well as pristine beach and expansive bay access.
From yoga in the park to walking tours of Atlantic City, these strategies are making Chelsea’s neighborhood the place many might want to live year round.
Bringing the Atlantic Club back to life
Before Sebastiani’s team can begin converting the old hotel rooms into condos, the building will need to be recladded (preventing water from leaking inside). The start date is TBD.
Renderings released to PlayNJ last week by Sebastiani provided the first glimpse into the exterior and luxury interior renovations. The Atlantic Club was one of four AC casinos to close in 2014.
Two of them have since reopened. The former Revel is now Ocean Casino Resort. And it’s hard to miss the Showboat Hotel, where there is a $100-million waterpark opening later this year.
However, it’s hard to miss the former Trump Plaza site, located at the center of the Atlantic Cit Boardwalk. The main building was imploded back in 2021, but nobody is talking about the future holds for the prime real estate.
So for the moment, Sebastiani’s luxury condo plans offer something unique.
Atlantic City luxury beachfront condos with a view
Hartman, who has been in real estate over 25 years, and Gordon say the luxury condos planned for the property at Boston Avenue and the Boardwalk “are like nothing this area has ever seen.”
Renderings show the 23-story South Tower with six condos per floor ranging in size from 1,800 square feet to 3,000 square feet.
“It’s rare,” said Hartman. “They never built beachfront condominiums with four bedrooms. Usually, you have to wait and buy the condominium next to yours, knock down walls and pay thousands and thousands of dollars in construction costs.”
Hartman said the condos will be pet friendly.
And besides being walking distance from Atlantic Cit casinos, condo residents will get great Atlantic Ocean and city views. Additionally, the property is located near the Knife and Fork Inn, Stockton University and AtlanticCare. Hartman said the location help makes the condos enticing.
Atlantic Club condo layout plans
‘Changing the entire neighborhood’
Sebastiani said he thinks people from the tri-state area who visit Atlantic City casinos and visit the free beach will be anxious to buy the condos.
However, Hartman believes the luxury condos also will be a good fit for Downbeach residents looking for more space.
“He’s (Rocco Sebastiani) not just changing the buildings. He is changing the entire neighborhood,” said Hartman. “The luxury will be spreading. It’s going to be such a spectacular luxury condominium project.”
The condos also could be attractive to current Ventnor, Margate and Longport residents who don’t want to lose space if they move.
“You have year-round people who live in beautiful houses on the beach and bay who want to move, but they want to have space if family comes to visit or if they need room just to be apart from each other when they work at home,” Hartman said. “These condos are perfect for them.”
Projected costs for the condominiums will be available after approvals are obtained from the city and the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.
Sebastiani plans to hire multiple designers to finish luxury sample rooms for buyers to view.
Stephanie Loder is a freelance writer. She has worked as a breaking news reporter, copyeditor, and Metro Editor for Gannett/USAToday in New Jersey and North Carolina.
