Seaside Heights Formalizes Sale of Former ‘House-Motel,’ Dewey Drive Properties

Demolition of the property at 229 Franklin Avenue, Seaside Heights, Dec. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)

The sale of three properties in Seaside Heights – two vacant, and one that once contained a condemned combination of a house and motel-style apartment building – have officially been sold to their new owners.

The oddly-developed property at 229 Franklin Avenue, which previously contained a free-standing multi-family home with a medium-sized motel-style building in its own backyard, had been placed on the market for a second time after receiving offers, but no formal bids during a first round on the market. In its second effort to sell the property, the borough was successful.

Borough Administrator Christopher Vaz said the property, now an empty lot, netted $415,000. The new owner, who was not yet identified in updated property records, will pay an additional $41,500 as a commission to the real estate firm that managed the sale. Buyers, not taxpayers, must pay real estate commissions for any properties sold through real estate, brokerage or auctions services.

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In late 2023, the property went up for auction and generated both interest and written offers, but no formal bids. The borough received five offers for the property, ranging from $55,000 to $360,000.

The Franklin Avenue property was demolished several days before Christmas 2023. The borough purchased the property last fall for $1.1 million utilizing state grant funding aimed at acquiring and redeveloping blighted properties.

Demolition of the property at 229 Franklin Avenue, Seaside Heights, Dec. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)

229 Franklin Avenue, Seaside Heights, N.J., March 2023 (Photo: Daniel Nee)

229 Franklin Avenue, Seaside Heights, N.J., March 2023 (Photo: Daniel Nee)

The property at 229 Franklin Avenue, Seaside Heights, N.J., Aug. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)

The property has been used as a motel and apartment building over the years, eventually being purchased by the borough after years of repeated code violations and frequent police activity. It also contained a traditional multi-family, free-standing home.

The borough’s redevelopment plan for the site calls for three townhomes to be built there.

Meanwhile, in the northern portion of town, Seaside Heights finalized the sale of two properties on Dewey Drive, which is set along the southern end of Route 35 at the entrance to the island, but is technically under the jurisdiction of Toms River despite having been owned by the borough. The properties, which are located next to the “Welcome to Seaside Heights” sign near Hiering and Central avenues, were sold to Dewey OB Group, LLC for $325,000 each. The buyer also paid a 10 percent commission of $32,500 to an auctioneer hired by the borough.

Lots on Dewey Drive in Toms River, owned by Seaside Heights, Sept. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)

Lots on Dewey Drive in Toms River, owned by Seaside Heights, Sept. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)

The “welcome” sign will be retained by the borough, which kept a small portion of the property so it could remain.

The two lots are each expected to be developed with a single-family home, though their development falls under the jurisdiction of Toms River’s zoning code and building department.