OCEAN CITY — Almost a year since the rides stopped, the future of the Wonderland Pier property continues to dominate the conversation in Ocean City.
On Thursday, members of the city’s business organizations turned out in force to the City Council meeting, calling for council to reconsider its stance on the property.
In a 6-1 vote in August, council declined to forward the matter to the Planning Board, which would have considered whether the former amusement park at Sixth Street and the Boardwalk met the criteria to be declared an area in need of rehabilitation.
The owner of the property, Eustace Mita, had spent much of the year since Wonderland’s closure pitching his plan for a new, 252-room Icona hotel at the site, at an estimated cost of $150 million.
The eventual designation of the area as being in need of rehabilitation could have allowed the city to negotiate with Mita directly on the proposal, and cleared a path for the use variance and other approvals needed to allow the development.
“We strongly urge City Council to reconsider its vote and allow the Planning Board to consider whether this site meets the criteria for rehabilitation,” said Wes Kazmarck, the longtime president of the Boardwalk Merchants Association, told council during the public comment portion of the meeting.
Representatives of the Chamber of Commerce, the downtown merchants and multiple business owners joined the call, citing the potential local tax revenue, the significant investment and the boost to business possible with the Icona proposal.
At the August meeting, opponents and a few supporters packed in to the City Council chambers on the third floor of City Hall for the first council vote, with people lined up in the hallway trying to hear the meeting.
After the vote went against him in August, Mita said he had given up on the plan, and would put the site up for sale, possibly for residential development. He has since stated that he has at least three offers meeting his $25 million price.
Mita attended the Thursday meeting, but did not address council. He said he did not organize the appearance from business groups, and did not know it was happening until it was organized, adding that he ducked out of a family event to attend.
Still, he did say he would consider reviving the hotel plans if council relented. He has maintained that the hotel proposal is the best use of the site.
“The silent majority is having its say,” Mita said during the meeting.
Several of the business owners said they have already seen a change over the summer from having Wonderland closed, with less foot traffic in that block and well beyond it.
“This hotel will bringing people to Ocean City. It’s a first-class, iconic hotel,” said John Stauffer, the owner of Johnson’s Popcorn. “Something has to be done, and you have to decide whether you want a town for America’s Greatest Family Resort, a tourist town, or if you want a place for second homeowners.”
He said without the hotel proposal, the Sixth Street location of the well known popcorn site could close net year, and Mark Raab told council the Raab family, which owns extensive property on the hotel, said they may consider selling their holdings, moving more properties from local ownership to a larger-scale investment group.
The matter was not on the agenda for Thursday, but city officials knew about the plan for a big turnout, and this time moved the meeting to a larger venue, the Chris Maloney Lecture Hall at the Ocean City Free Public Library. The crowd still packed that venue.
There was no City Council vote after the public comment portion, but there was some movement on the issue of Boardwalk development.
Council President Terry Crowley Jr. announced a new subcommittee to take a complete look at zoning on the Boardwalk as part of the preparation for an upcoming reexamination of the city’s master plan. In saying no to sending the question of the rehabilitation zone to the Planning Board, several members of council indicated that they did not want to single out a specific site, as similar issues of use, rehabilitation and future development would take place throughout the Boardwalk.
Members include three from City Council; Dave Winslow, Jody Levchuk and Sean Barnes, along with Michael Allegretto from the city along with builder Dean Adams, Jim Kelly of Ocean City 2025 and Kazmarck. There are more potential members, he said.
“I’ve had several people who said no to being on theis subcommittee, just because it is such a contentious issue in town and people don’t want it to affect their business,” Crowley said.
The committee will come back to City Council with recommendations, which will be forwarded to the Planning Board to incorporate into the next master plan.
Opponents of the proposal also had their say at the Thursday meeting, telling council that the matter has already been decided and speaking against Mita’s plans. Many of the most vocal critics of the hotel proposal expressed concern that the matter would come back and find its way to the Planning Board.
After the first vote, Council member Pete Madden brought it back to the table in a motion at a later meeting, with a second from Winslow. He argued that any of the proposals for the site would likely need a use variance to develop the former amusement park, as all of the plans discussed so far included accommodations or residential uses not allowed under the current zoning.
But opponents of the hotel plan say this as an attempt to sneak through a vote without a meeting room packed with opposition.
Jim Kelly, a critic of the hotel plans named to the subcommittee, said the subcommittee will be able to see the interconnections of the Boardwalk, allowing a plan for the whole area, not a piecemeal approach.
It is also more equitable, he said.
“No one gets an exclusive lane or a shortcut,” Kelly said.
As he has on several occasions, Mayor Jay Gillian started the meeting with a call for civility between the two sides of the Wonderland proposal and other issues.
“I recognize that there are strong opinions on all sides of these issues. Decisions won’t be easy , but doing the right thing will take courage and leadership. But most importantly, we need to work together,” Gillian said. He said open debate and hearing all sides will be the key to success.
“Dividing ourselves into factions, hiding behind keyboards and social media to spread misinformation rumors serves nobody and does a disservice to our town.”
Gillian was the CEO of Wonderland, which had been his family’s business, started in the 12960s by his father, Roy Gillian. In the summer of 2024, Gillian announced that the amusement park was no longer viable and would close that October.
Contact Bill Barlow:
609-272-7290
bbarlow@pressofac.com
X @jerseynews_bill
The business news you need
Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.
* I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Bill Barlow
Reporter
Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!
Your notification has been saved.
There was a problem saving your notification.
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Followed notifications
Please log in to use this feature
Log In
Don’t have an account? Sign Up Today