Once one of Atlantic City’s iconic hotels, the Trump Plaza tower could very well be going away in 2020.

Officials in Atlantic City announced they would be filing an injunction in Superior Court Thursday afternoon to demolish a tower at Trump Plaza after an inspection deemed the building an “imminent hazard.”

Atlantic City Director of Licensing and Inspections for Dale Finch said he received a call around 11 a.m. Sunday from Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. and his chief of staff Ernest Coursey about panels that had fallen from an area at least 15 stories high from the building and had left debris on the ground. After discussions and inspection with city construction official Anthony Cox, the property was declared an imminent hazard.

Atlantic City Fire Department Chief Scott Evans utilized drone footage of the exposed areas, explaining the panels that had fallen were approximately around the 18th floor of the building. Evans said that behind the panels of the building, corrosion has set in, and wind and water had helped push the panels off of the building.

Plywood has been placed inside the building to prevent wind from entering and accelerating the process, but the water has expanded in areas, leading to pieces falling off of the building.

“These buildings need to maintained, and they need to be kept safe,” Evans said. “The most important thing for us is public safety. We need to ensure that the owners of these buildings do not create a situation that is going to pose a threat or risk to the city, or to any pedestrians for that matter, that are within the vicinity of this building.”

Construction on the building began in 1982, with its official opening happening in 1984. After the casino closed in 2014, it has remained empty. Ichan Enterprises, owned by Carl Ichan, currently controls the property after assuming ownership of it in 2016.

The mayor stated the city has tried to worked with Carl Icahn Enterprises to figure out a solution for the Trump Plaza.

“We have had negotiations with Trump Plaza owner Ichan Enterprises, and we had two sessions,” the mayor said. “He could not have been more generous. It is safe to say we are on the same page of getting this building down but we have different paths on how we get there. Part of my vision is to have a clean and safe city,” said small sr. “Right now, Trump Plaza is not clean, and it is not safe. When is this going to stop? When we have a fatality?”

Hunter Gary, President of Real Estate for Ichan Enterprises, said the process to demolish the building had already begun.

“We are puzzled by the city’s actions,” Gary said. “In fact, we have already decided to demo the building and have commenced the process including finalizing contracts. If the mayor had simply called us instead of holding a press conference, we could have updated him too.

Special Advisor to the Mayor, Steven Perskie, said the city has a moral and legal obligation to protect the residents.

“The city does not have the power itself to tear the building down,” Perskie said. “In order to do that, the city is filing the action in the Superior Court of New Jersey to get injunctive relief requiring the immediate demolition of the building and until demolition begins, sheathing the building.”

The city has placed police officers around the building to keep people away. The city will also be setting up fences to create a buffer zone. City officials said in the past that panels have fallen on Columbia Avenue and some have almost made it to the boardwalk itself. The fences will create some distance to keep people from walking into specific areas.

Chris Franklin can be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @cfranklinnews or on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

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