Casino Reinvestment Development Authority helps fund Atlantic City demolition program

And now we present to you some news about the Atlantic City Tourism District that doesn’t involve name-calling or bickering between the city and the state. And it’s not even an April Fools joke.

The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority is kicking in $1 million toward the city’s demolition program, the Press of Atlantic City reports.

Since Atlantic City Council amended a program ordinance to allow demolition six months after a property is deemed vacant, demolition hearings have gone up 20 percent. Anthony Cox, director of the city’s Licensing and Inspections Division, said the CRDA money will help ensure the consistency of the program.

It’s now up to Mayor Lorenzo Langford and the state to work out whether and how tax abatements will be given to developers who revitalize neglected properties.