Seaside Heights Approves 10 Townhomes to Replace Troubled Motel

Townhomes planned to replace the Quality Inn motel in Seaside Heights. (Screenshot/Planning Board)

The Seaside Heights planning board this week approved a proposal to demolish a motel that has drawn the ire of neighbors in favor of a 10-unit townhome development.

The townhomes, which will range in size from about 1,300 to 1,500 square feet each, will be built on what is now a property occupied by a Quality Inn motel, its pool and a parking lot. The townhomes will be constructed by Shree Properties, LLC on a plot of land spanning Central Avenue between Sampson and Hiering avenues. The townhomes will front all three roads.

Townhomes planned to replace the Quality Inn motel in Seaside Heights. (Screenshot/Planning Board)

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“It is currently a 39-room motel,” said project engineer Brian Murphy. “We’re going to demolish the motel, the associated parking lot and the pool. It is going to be less impervious, require less parking and generate less traffic than the existing use of the motel.”

Two neighboring homeowners spoke. Both complained about the noise and what they described as an unkempt property surrounding the existing motel. One of the residents, Dino Bozzi, said he supported the replacement of the motel, but felt 10 units would be too dense for the property, considering summer parking issues.

“I’ve seen motel owners come and go,” he said. “These owners, right now, are the worst there has ever been, with the debris in the parking lot, it’s not clean, it’s a mess. I’m glad to upgrade the property … but I’m concerned about stacking them in, eight to ten [units].”

Another neighbor, Bill Wafford, said he has seen a marked improvement in the neighborhood as a whole once the former church-turned-building-supply store was sold and developed with townhomes. He endorsed the proposal.

Quality Inn, Seaside Heights, N.J., proposed for demolition and replacement, Jan. 2021. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

Quality Inn, Seaside Heights, N.J., proposed for demolition and replacement, Jan. 2021. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

“I live across the street from this motel,” Wafford said. “Three, four, five o’clock in the morning, you’re still hearing people coming home from the bars. You’re not going to have that with ten homes. It is a blessing to us to get this done.”

The board agreed, and approved the proposal in a unanimous 9-0 vote.