Levinson Blames State Control for Atlantic City's Road and Development Problems

County executive says state should bear responsibility for Atlantic Avenue and calls for changes to planning and zoning system

ATLANTIC CITY — Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson says years of state control over Atlantic City have contributed to deteriorating roads and a cumbersome development process that can discourage businesses from investing in the resort.

And he says elected city officials shouldn't shoulder all the blame.

Levinson offered a pointed critique of the state's role in Atlantic City during an appearance Wednesday on Klein Time with Dan Klein on WOND, as discussion turned to the long-awaited improvements to Atlantic Avenue.

"The state takeover and to revitalize Atlantic City and to run Atlantic City from soup to nuts has caused us the problem," Levinson said.

Klein raised the condition of Atlantic Avenue, where road work has been getting underway after years of complaints about potholes, cracks and other deterioration.

Levinson argued that Mayor Marty Small and city government shouldn't be held solely responsible for those conditions because of the state's continuing oversight.

"Had he been responsible for the roads, the way they are — which he is not, since it's a state takeover —" Levinson said, arguing that elected officials in a typical municipality would pay a political price for allowing streets to deteriorate.

Levinson singled out the stretch of Atlantic Avenue near several prominent businesses as being particularly bad.

"My definition of a state takeover is you've taken over the city and they're responsible for it," Levinson said.

'The State Should Have Paved That Road'

Asked directly whether he believes New Jersey should have been responsible for paving Atlantic Avenue, Levinson didn't hesitate.

"I absolutely am saying it," he said.

But Levinson's criticism extended well beyond road conditions.

He argued that state involvement has created a complicated regulatory structure that makes it harder for entrepreneurs to invest in Atlantic City.

Levinson pointed specifically to planning and zoning, where businesses can face involvement from both Atlantic City and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority.

"Anybody will tell you that has tried to do business in Atlantic City, in zoning and in planning, you have to go to CRDA, then from CRDA you've got to go back to Atlantic City," Levinson said.

That process can be particularly burdensome for small businesses, he said.

"A guy that wants to open up a mom and pop along Atlantic Avenue, which has many empty stores, has to jump through hoops," Levinson said. "And it costs a small fortune to get open, which is why people shy away from Atlantic City."

Calls for Legislative Change

Levinson said the Legislature should reconsider the system that shifted planning and zoning authority away from Atlantic City.

"It has to be changed," Levinson said.

"You took away planning and zoning from Atlantic City. In fact, you have fixed what wasn't broken in Atlantic City."

Levinson said he did not believe the city's planning and zoning system was the source of widespread complaints before authority was shifted under the state's intervention.

His comments come at a time when Atlantic City is seeing significant private development interest, including new housing projects and continued investment in the tourism district.

Levinson's argument is that government should make it easier — not harder — for that investment to occur.

For years, the state has maintained extraordinary oversight of Atlantic City's government and finances. Levinson believes that arrangement also means Trenton has to accept responsibility when basic problems go unresolved.

The condition of Atlantic Avenue, he said, is one example.

The difficulty faced by prospective small-business owners is another.

And while Levinson isn't arguing that Atlantic City government bears no responsibility for the resort's challenges, he says it makes little sense for the state to exercise extensive authority over the city and then escape accountability when things go wrong.

"If you're deciding what you can tax," Levinson said, even routine city decisions can require officials to "jump through hoops."

For Levinson, that is the fundamental problem with the current arrangement: with control should come responsibility.