Seaside Heights Approves Residential Building Behind Boardwalk Businesses, Replacing Parking Lot

The property at 1011 Ocean Terrace, Seaside Heights, N.J., March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)

Seaside Heights’ planning board this week approved proposal by a borough property owner to construct a residential property behind a number of boardwalk game stands, replacing a dirt-and-gravel parking lot.

The board unanimously approved an application by Clown Around Inc., based in Point Pleasant Beach.

The proposal calls for a three-family residential building to be constructed where the parking lot current exists between Sheridan and Hancock avenues. The property itself, 1011 Ocean Terrace, backs up to several boardwalk stands, including a “balloon popping” game and Hershey’s Shake Shoppe and Arcade. The three-family building will contain six dwelling units, including one which will be occupied by the owner, said attorney Anthony Pagano, representing the property owner.

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Approval was contingent on a supermajority of board members voting in favor of the proposal since a use variance, commonly known as a “D” variance, was required. In this instance, the variance was required because two buildings would be occupying the same lot for different primary purposes – the boardwalk businesses and the new residential project.

A height variance, however, was avoided, since it was determined that the building complied with the borough’s zoning code.

“I believe that the issue was that the height of the structure was considered the peak of the building, however according to the ordinance, as long as the top portion of the building is used for mechanical access only, you are allowed an additional 10 feet,” said project engineer Robert Burdick.

The property at 1011 Ocean Terrace, Seaside Heights, N.J., March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)

The property at 1011 Ocean Terrace, Seaside Heights, N.J., March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)

Indeed, there will be no rooftop access as an amenity – only to reach mechanicals. With the building measuring 41-feet, the 50-foot, three-inch top height of the structure, due to a staircase that allows a small access point to the mechanicals, complies with the code.

“The applicant intends to occupy one unit and rent out the others,” said Pagano. “There is no plan to turn the home into a condominium.”

The owner has yet to determine whether the property will be used for long-term or short-term rentals, he said.

“The project maintains the boardwalk use and activities for visitors, while the residential structure will be virtually separate from the boardwalk use,” Pagano said. “It will eliminate a parking facility which, generally, would produce more traffic during the peak hours of the summer than the proposed development. We believe it will aid in reducing pedestrian-vehicular contact … which is a safety consideration.”

Burdick said the new home will eliminated what is generally considered an “underutilized” property, referring to the parking lot.