JERSEY CITY — The public got its first look Wednesday at plans for the restaurant and event venue that will replace Casino in the Park, the longtime Lincoln Park institution that closed in 2017.

Hudson County officials and representatives from Landmark Developers unveiled renderings of the 25,000-square-foot building that will rise in place of the banquet hall during a public meeting Wednesday night.

The plan calls for Hudson County issue a $6 million bond to cover the costs of demolishing the current building and construction of the new one. Landmark, which owns and operates a number of popular event venues in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including Liberty House in Jersey City, would be responsible for the build out and furnishing of the venue.

Casino in the Park, which opened in 1950, hosted thousands of political events, weddings, and fundraisers through the decades. But the venue’s landlord — Hudson County — wanted a new direction for the outdated facility and opted to close it.

The Hudson County Improvement Authority then tapped Frank and Jeanne Cretella — owners of Landmark — as developers of the new project. Landmark will have a 30-year lease on the property.

“We wanted to create a building that is world class,” Frank Cretella said Wednesday. “I feel like this is something the West Side doesn’t have.”

The new three-story venue will be built in the footprint of the existing facility, which could be demolished as soon as February or March. The building will include two banquet halls, an open kitchen restaurant, and a rooftop bar and dining area. The plan also calls for the addition of 80 new parking spaces.

Stone from the existing building will also be incorporated into the new venue’s chimney and fireplaces.

Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise and the HCIA’s CEO Norman Guerra say construction should start in March or April and conclude as early at spring 2021.

The plan received mostly positive reviews from the members of the public and local officials who attended the presentation at the Gallo Center in Lincoln Park.

“I really think we need something right here,” said Luz Guzman, who chairs the Friends of Lincoln Park organization. “I am hoping people will forgive that they are demolishing everything but if the building is not sound, then the building is not sound.”

“I’m very excited for the plans to add the restaurant,” added Ward B Councilwoman Mira Prinz-Arey, who represents Jersey City’s West Side neighborhood. “It’s going to be a great thing for the West Side. It will bring local jobs in addition to dining options and event space.”

The restaurant is expected to be open six days a week for lunch and dinner, and will feature what officials say will be an affordable menu.

Chico Ramchal, the former Jersey City councilman who represented the West Side, noted that the neighborhood has lost several longtime restaurant in recent years, including Puccini’s and Rita and Joe’s.

“I’m supporting the project because there is no restaurant to sit with your family on the West Side,” Ramchal said.

One person raised concerns of whether the new venue — specifically the rooftop bar — would become a nuisance for the surrounding community. Frank Critella responded, saying the rooftop will have a wall that should act as a buffer and deaden the noise.

“I think the design really makes it a special place,” he added.