Atlantic City Bader Field Plan Redevelopment With Motor Club Community Gets Green Flag
- 21 Jul 2025
- Gambling News
The multibillion-dollar redevelopment of the long-closed Bader Field airport has been approved by the Atlantic City Council. It will include a 2.44-mile Formula One-graded racetrack that winds through and around 4,000 upscale homes, retail stores, and dining establishments in a so-called "motorsport living, entertainment, and lifestyle hub."
In a unanimous vote, the City Council recommended that the project be sent to the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA), which is overseen by the state, for consideration. The nine casinos provide gaming, parking, and lodging allowances to the CRDA. The organization supports revitalization initiatives in Atlantic City by leveraging its earnings and assets with private investment funding.
According to Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr., a member of the CRDA board and council member, the $3.4 billion project is "a game changer." Four partners working under the name DEEM Enterprises, LLC are in charge of the project, which is named Renaissance at Bader Field. CEO Erick Feitshans, COO Mike Binder, CMO Eric Harryman, and CLO Daniel Gallagher are among the principals.
A Special Proposal
Since the larger Atlantic City International Airport took the role of the city-owned municipal airport in September 2006, Bader Field has been closed. The 143-acre property, which is situated in the Chelsea Heights neighborhood west of Absecon Island and the Intracoastal Waterway, has been the subject of several redevelopment projects.
Perhaps the most distinctive is DEEM's vision. Along with the racetrack and drive-in residences, the mixed-use development is intended for motorsport aficionados and will have upscale shopping, excellent dining, a live entertainment venue, a boutique hotel, a nature walk, an intercoastal marina, and a museum.
"[Renaissance] offers automotive enthusiasts a rare opportunity to experience their cars on a safe, professional road course, displayed in their homes and shared as a lifestyle. Drawing upon scores of enthusiastic fans in New Jersey and across the globe, Renaissance will provide state-of-the-art facilities that spur a new, exciting level of commerce through iGaming, sporting events, concerts, and motion picture entertainment,” the Renaissance website reads.
Smalls believes DEEM has the resources to implement the ambitious plan. He and his wife, Dr. La'Quetta Small, the superintendent of Atlantic City Public Schools, are still facing felony endangerment charges for the alleged abuse of his teenage daughter.
“We’re more confident than ever,” Smalls declared.
Next Actions
By voting for the Renaissance plan, the Atlantic City Council enters into a memorandum of understanding that DEEM would pay the city $100 million for Bader Field and another $15 million for a community and recreational center somewhere in the city, provided the state approves the development, which is necessary because the state still has jurisdiction over the Atlantic City government.
DEEM executives stated in January that they had secured funds for the $750 million to $800 million first phase of the development, which would comprise the racetrack and the largest apartments.
Owner of Showboat Bart Blatstein, who in 2022 proposed a $3 billion reconstruction of Bader Field with renowned residential builder Post Brothers, expressed concerns in 2023 that Small and the City Council had not properly conducted a competitive bid after his plan was approved. Blatstein urged state representatives to turn down the Renaissance plan.
“Respectfully, this lack of transparency and competitive bidding process certainly is not reflective of the highest standards for openness and public credibility that Gov. Phil Murphy has to his great credit set for his administration,” Blatstein said at the time.
