Whelan and Tyner for State Assembly

WHELAN, TYNER ISSUE LETTER TO CRDA REQUESTING DISMISSAL OF TRAMWAY PLAN
Recommend Construction of New Parking Garage Near Corner of Missouri and Atlantic Avenues
(EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP) – Second District Assembly candidates Jim Whelan and Damon Tyner today sent a letter to the newly appointed executive director of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority asking him to abandon plans to build a tramway above The Walk and instead construct a new parking garage near the corner of Missouri and Atlantic Avenues.

Whelan and Tyner issued their letter to Executive Director Tom Carver and asked him to oppose the construction of a tramway. Whelan and Tyner said The Walk was designed to attract business to the popular boulevard and noted that a tramway would hurt the downtown shopping district by taking pedestrians away from the many stores located along the walkway.

A copy of the letter is attached below.
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October 5, 2005

Tom Carver, Executive Director
Casino Reinvestment Development Authority
1014 Atlantic Avenue
Atlantic City, NJ 08404

Dear Chairman Carver:

Congratulations on your recent appointment to the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority. Personally, it’s great to have you back in town. More importantly, it will be great for Atlantic City to have someone with your knowledge of and concern for the town.

As you begin to review the many projects under consideration, we wanted to offer our opinion on the proposed development of an elevated tramway to run above Atlantic City’s popular shopping boulevard, The Walk.

The proposed tramway would run the length of The Walk and would serve as a connection from the Atlantic City Convention Center to the Boardwalk. If approved by the CRDA, the tramway project is expected to cost
approximately $70 million.

It is our belief that such a project would be a tragic waste of state funds. The Walk was created to help generate business for the many new, flourishing shops in downtown Atlantic City. It is called The Walk for a reason.

Instead of taking away pedestrians from The Walk – which is exactly what an elevated tramway would do – we should be encouraging shoppers to frequent the shops by giving them ample parking space.

Currently, there is no public parking lot with sufficient parking space located near The Walk. We feel the best way to encourage shoppers to visit The Walk is by building a new parking garage near the corner of
Missouri and Atlantic Avenues.

A new parking garage would serve as a tremendous impetus for pedestrians to visit The Walk and would give the shops located along Atlantic Avenue a much needed boost. A new parking garage near Missouri and Atlantic Avenues would also give pedestrians the opportunity to visit the new convention center and Boardwalk Hall, along with Ducktown and other local sites worth visiting.

It also has the advantage of helping traffic congestion in the Expressway entrance area by intercepting cars before they get to the more crowded ocean side of Atlantic Avenue and having them exit onto Arctic Avenue, one
block from the Expressway.

We believe the CRDA’s money would be better spent on the construction of a new parking garage. It lacks common sense to build a tramway that would reduce people-traffic along The Walk. Instead of taking shoppers away
from The Walk, we need to be attracting them. A new parking garage would put even more feet on the street.

Thank you for your time and consideration. Please feel free to contact either of us if you would like to discuss this further.

Sincerely,

Jim Whelan Damon Tyner