Of the hotels, the Borgata is closest to construction. It also comes before the city's planning board for approval on March 15. Though the project is a joint venture between Boyd Gaming and Mirage, the takeover talks will not impede plans, said Robert L. Boughner, CEO of Borgata and COO of the parent corporation. The opening of the Borgata alone will satisfy the city's agreement with Mirage Resorts. Mirage is still required to forge ahead with the construction of the internal roadway, utility lines and other infrastructure elements as required by its agreement with the city.
Any corporate successor assumes the same responsibility.
It faces one final scrutiny by architectural consultants before submission to the city and state for permits to build. MGM Grand has approved a redevelopment deal with the city, and is working on the final stages of an agreement with the Atlantic City Housing Authority and Urban Redevelopment Agency, which oversees the larger portion of the Boardwalk site. The company also ended a long struggle with a group of holdout land owners, and acquired most of the remaining acreage. City attorneys have inaugurated eminent domain proceedings to extricate the two small lots still in private hands. Both the city and MGM Grand also worked out a possible road access plan to facilitate traffic flow from the Atlantic City Expressway to the MGM Grand site.