High-rise hotel planned for Wildwood Boardwalk
By MAUREEN L. CAWLEY
Staff Writer
WILDWOOD – A new high-rise hotel is in the works for the north side of Wildwood on the Boardwalk. The building, tentatively named The Starlite Resort, is proposed for a public parking lot between Juniper and Poplar avenues.
Realtor Michael McDonald and Gateway Real Estate are in the process of the buying the proposed building site from BMF Investment, a limited liability corporation, owned and managed by Bill Morey and family. The lot was acquired as a part of a settlement with the Morey Organization.
Original plans for the site included a 29-story art deco-style building, but plans are being scaled back to accommodate the city’s zoning law.
The zoning board failed to grant the required variances to the 26-story Bennett Avenue project earlier this month, and Morey said the message was loud and clear.
“The building is with the architects and getting smaller as we speak,” he said.
The lead architect on the project is Dan Shousky, of Oliveri, Shousky and Kiss.
“The height is pretty much capped at 250 feet,” Shousky said.
The design will mix Doo Wop at the base with art deco in the tower, and because of the extreme climate at the Jersey Shore, the building will be largely made of masonry.
“It has to be built to withstand weather conditions,” he said.
“We are right now in the process of purchasing the project from the Moreys,” McDonald said.
He said they will have a contract contingent upon gaining approval from the zoning board. He expects to submit the project for approval sometime in November.
“Right now we are very close to submitting it,” he said.
McDonald said he has spoken with three major national builders who are interested in purchasing the project.
“All of them have built Marriotts and other major hotels,” he said. “They love the location.”
Once approvals are obtained for a project, the project will be presented to the builders, McDonald said.
“Then we will see who has an appetite for it at the price we are asking,” he said.
The building will be a condotel, according to McDonald, providing both residential and motel-style accommodations. He said he was uncertain how many units will be delegated to the rental pool.
“We will do whatever is required,” he said.
A promotional feature story in Beach and Bay Homes last year promised “views from every angle will be spectacular.”
“It’s right on the Boardwalk and I think in the best position for not causing issues for neighbors,” McDonald said.
In an interview last week, Morey had said initial plans included a restaurant and a spa. Shousky said he envisioned ballrooms, “a really nice restaurant,” retail shops, an indoor/outdoor pool and a pool deck overlooking the beach.
Morey said that there may be some deviation from the original plan.
McDonald said the project details are sketchy right now.
As part of the transfer agreement with the Morey Organization the project will need to provide as many public parking spots as it does currently, McDonald said.
“There will be whatever public parking is required,” he said.
The lot, according to Morey, originally provided parking for the Starlite Ballroom on the Boardwalk.
He said the project will generate business for Boardwalk merchants in addition to the convention center. It will also contribute toward the funding of infrastructure improvements, he said.
“I’ve lived here all my life,” Morey said, “and we want to please as many people as possible.”
Morey said there still are a lot of details to work out. If this deal falls through, there are “numerous options” for the development and operation of the project.
“It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us,” he said
Morey acknowledges because of this high-rise building, and others like it, his grandchildren will grow up in a Wildwood that is drastically different than the one he grew up in. But he is comfortable with his decision.
“It’s a healthy thing to fear change before it happens,” he said, “but it’s happening now. So you need to embrace it and improve upon it.”
Maureen L. Cawley can be e-mailed at maureen.cawley@catamaranmedia.com or you can comment on this story by calling 624-8900, ext. 250.
