After four hours of public comment and debate Thursday night, Ocean City leaders narrowly voted in favor of having the shore community's planning board review options for redeveloping the site of the former Gillian's Wonderland Pier amusement park.
City Council's 4-3 vote could pave the way for property owner Icona Resorts to build an eight-story, luxury hotel on the east end of the boardwalk at Sixth Street. The proposal is favored by the city's business community, whose leaders say the project would drive more tourism. Groups opposed to the plan argue it will obstruct the beachfront, create traffic problems and detract from Ocean City's family-friendly appeal.
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Thursday night's outcome reverses course from an initial vote on the same resolution in August, when a 6-1 majority chose not to send the matter to the planning board. The boardwalk is not currently zoned to allow for the construction of new hotels.
The planning board will now determine whether the Wonderland Pier site should be designated as an area in need of redevelopment. That would open the door to rezoning the property and negotiating directly with the owner on the details of a future project. It also would allow the city to take advantage of state tax incentives for redeveloping sites that are deemed in need of rehabilitation.
Icona Resorts CEO Eustace Mita, who did not attend Thursday's meeting, said a "no" vote would have prompted him to sell the property. Mita said he had bids lined up from Virginia-based Ryan Homes and the family of South Jersey attorney Philip Norcross, both north of $25 million, to construct townhomes at the site. Any plan other than another amusement park would require a zoning variance.
After the vote in August, Mita said some members of City Council asked him to delay selling the property. City Council Vice President Pete Madden, the lone yes vote in August, gained support from council members Tony Polcini and Jody Levchuk to hold another vote.
The one additional vote needed to approve the resolution on Thursday came from City Council President Terry Crowley Jr. Council members Keith Hartzell, Dave Winslow and Sean Barnes voted against the measure for a second time.
During a news conference at the Ocean City Music Pier on Wednesday, Mita said that if the planning board recommends designating the property in need of rehabilitation, negotiations on the 252-room hotel likely would take months before a plan is decided. He expects the hotel would take about 18 months to complete.
Wonderland Pier, which had been an anchor at Sixth Street since the 1960s, closed in October 2023 after years of financial struggles. Icona Resorts bought the property in 2021, pulling it out from $8 million in defaulted mortgage loans and sparing the property from a sheriff's sale. Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian, the former owner, operated the amusement park for three more years before determining the business was not economically viable. Gillian filed for personal bankruptcy this week.
Ahead of the vote Thursday, Madden said the existing Wonderland Pier building will need to be torn down and the substructure beneath it will require work to allow new development.
"You're not Band-Aiding what's there," Madden said. "And unfortunately, I think over time, Wonderland was just putting Band-Aid on Band-Aid on Band-Aid and was just never really able to generate enough income."
Disclaimer: Philip Norcross is the uncle of PhillyVoice founder and Chairwoman Lexie Norcross.