Ocean City Halts Wonderland Pier Redevelopment

Ocean City's City Council is embroiled in a heated debate over the future of the Wonderland Pier site, at Sixth Street and the Boardwalk. Disagreements center on redevelopment plans for a  $150 million luxury resort hotel and the process behind them.

Council Vice President Pete Madden proposed a last-minute resolution to seek a recommendation from the planning board on whether the site should be declared in need of rehabilitation. Madden argued that the site's potential for residential development, which is currently not permitted, warrants a review by the planning board to consider if redevelopment is necessary, but his proposal was tabled indefinitely by the City Council in a 5-1 vote.

This decision followed previous council rejection of Madden's attempt to seek a rehabilitation designation. According to OCNJDaily, hotel developer Eustace Mita, who owns the Wonderland property, wanted the rehabilitation designation to build his proposed “ICONA in Wonderland” luxury resort in an area of the Boardwalk currently not zoned for hotel development.

Community groups like Ocean City 2050 oppose the luxury hotel plan, citing concerns about overdevelopment and the loss of the Boardwalk's family-friendly atmosphere. They have proposed a smaller, mixed-use alternative called “Wonderland Commons.”

Following the rejection of Madden's proposal, Mita announced plans to sell the property. He stated he had offers from developers interested in building townhomes on the site, which are currently prohibited by city zoning laws.

Councilman Dave Winslow emphasized his belief that Council should collaborate with the planning board to decide what should be done with the Wonderland site. He emphasized that the city should not take delay to come up with “some workable solutions.”

“To date, I haven't heard of one project, either locally or externally, that can be built there. So, we're going to wait another five to ten years until we get someone who wants to build an amusement park, and we get a really blighted area?” Winslow asked.