Levinson: Amazon Project at Former Race Course Is 'In the Best Interest of Everybody'

County executive backs Hamilton Township development and defends 29-year PILOT agreement

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP — Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson is giving an enthusiastic endorsement to the planned Amazon development at the former Atlantic City Race Course property, calling the project a major economic opportunity for Hamilton Township and the county.

Levinson said Wednesday that the project is expected to create approximately 700 permanent jobs while putting a long-dormant property back into productive use.

"The bottom line here is this is in the best interest of everybody," Levinson said during an appearance on Klein Time with Dan Klein on WOND.

Levinson praised Hamilton Township Mayor Carl Pitale and Commissioner Art Schenker for their work in bringing the project to the township.

"You stop and look at that racetrack that has sat fallow for years and years," Levinson said.

He even recalled previously writing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in an attempt to attract the company to Atlantic County, joking that his letter "didn't have much effect."

But he said Hamilton Township officials ultimately succeeded.

700 Permanent Jobs

Levinson said the economic impact goes beyond redeveloping the former race course property.

"You're looking at 700 permanent jobs," he said. "Imagine that."

The project includes a 29-year payment-in-lieu-of-taxes, or PILOT, agreement.

Levinson estimated Hamilton Township will receive approximately $2 million to $3 million annually, with the amount increasing 2.5% each year. Atlantic County will also receive a portion of the revenue, he said.

Levinson acknowledged critics may question why a company the size of Amazon should receive favorable tax treatment.

His answer is that New Jersey's high cost of doing business puts communities at a disadvantage when competing against other states for major employers.

"Our property taxes here are killing us here in the state of New Jersey," Levinson said.

He said economic-development officials sometimes have to offer incentives to overcome that disadvantage and make Atlantic County competitive.

"It's an offset on the cost of doing business in New Jersey," Klein suggested.

"You're absolutely correct," Levinson responded.

Why This PILOT Is Different

The Amazon agreement also creates an interesting contrast for Levinson.

He has been one of the most vocal critics of the Atlantic City casino PILOT, taking the state to court over what he argued was an unfair deal for Atlantic County taxpayers.

But he strongly supports the Amazon PILOT.

Levinson said there is no contradiction because the issue isn't whether PILOT agreements themselves are good or bad.

It's whether they are fair to taxpayers.

"People came to me and said, you fought the PILOT in Atlantic City ... why aren't you fighting this one?" Levinson said.

"The Atlantic City PILOT is not equitable to the rest of the county. This is equitable to the rest of the county."

Levinson said Atlantic County taxpayers will receive revenue from the Hamilton Township arrangement and that those payments will increase over time.

"And on top of it, our county taxpayers are going to get money out of this, and we'll get more as time goes by," Levinson said.

"I'm very, very pleased. And I would not do anything to thwart this development there in an area that is sitting fallow for I don't know how many years."

Levinson sees the Amazon development as part of a broader effort to diversify an Atlantic County economy that has historically depended heavily on casinos and tourism.

He pointed during the interview to the county's aviation development efforts near Atlantic City International Airport as another example.

For the former race course property, however, Levinson believes the equation is particularly simple: a vacant property would return to productive use, local government would receive new revenue and hundreds of permanent jobs would be created.

For those reasons, he said he's "100% behind" the Hamilton Township project.