Government

Owner of Former Seaside Heights Motel Proposes 18 Townhomes on Property

by
Daniel Nee
November 7, 2023

The former Belmont Motel, on Sheridan Avenue in Seaside Heights, Nov. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)

The owner of a former motel that has been demolished on Sheridan Avenue in Seaside Heights will propose a multifamily residential development consisting of 18 townhomes, it was announced at a work session meeting of the borough’s planning board Monday night.

The property is the site of the former Belmont Motel, located opposite the borough’s police station at 128 Sheridan Avenue. In 2021, the borough council authorized utilizing a small portion of a $1 million state grant for the demolition of the motel, Mayor Anthony Vaz, at the time, said the governing body agreed to fund up to 75 percent of the cost of demolishing the multi-story motel, up to $50,000.

While the property is not a formally-designated area in need of redevelopment, it is the subject of a “rehabilitation plan” that calls for the now-demolished building, which was aging and increasingly in a state of disrepair, to be replaced by new construction.

Danielle Kinback, the attorney representing the property owner, said the 18 townhome units proposed for the site fully complies with the rehabilitation plan to replace the 45-room motel.

“The motel was almost 100 percent impervious, and we are reducing that coverage to about 93 percent,” said Conor Daly, the project’s engineer.

The former Belmont Motel, on Sheridan Avenue in Seaside Heights, Nov. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)

The Belmont Motel, slated for demolition in Seaside Heights, N.J., Dec. 2021. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

According to the presentation by the group of professionals, the units will be contained in four buildings. Plans call for nine, 2- bedroom units and nine, 3 bedroom units. The developer plans on providing 36 off-street parking spaces plus 3 spaces for electric vehicles. Daly said a mechanical gate is also being considered for the site, however the board’s engineering staff cautioned that the gate should not be placed close to the street, in order to avoid cars from stacking during the busy summer months. The issue is expected to be addressed by the time the project is formally proposed at a hearing.

A six foot-tall white vinyl fence is also proposed to ring the property, as called for in the rehabilitation plan, however that too may be revised.

The former Belmont Motel, on Sheridan Avenue in Seaside Heights, Nov. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)

That hearing where the entire development will be considered is scheduled to be held at the Nov. 27 meeting of the board, which begins at 6 p.m. in the council chambers, above the borough fire house.