Ocean Block Seaside Heights Motel Proposed for Demolition, Townhome Development

Four Winds Motel, Seaside Heights. (Credit: Kayak)

Yet another aging Seaside Heights motel will be torn down, along with several adjacent properties, to make room for a two-building townhome complex that will be proposed to the planning board later this month.

The board held a workshop meeting on Monday, where developer Kaspur LLC announced it was planning to demolish the Four Winds Motel, located at the corner of Kearney Avenue and Ocean Terrace. Three additional buildings to the west of the motel would also be razed under the proposed plan. The motel and smaller buildings would be replaced with two townhome buildings, each containing eight units for a total of 16 units.

“The north units will have three bedrooms, the south units will have four bedrooms, and they will each have two car garages for off-site secure parking,” said Jason Hanrahan of MODE Architects, who presented preliminary details of the development to the board. “Each unit will have rooftop access and an amenity area private to each individual townhome.”

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Units to the north will have a front, north-facing balcony, he added.

The Four Winds Motel, built in 1970, was sold the the developer in January, property records showed, for $2,010,000. It is located in the residential zone on a 16,000 square-foot lot. The new buildings are proposed to stand 52.5-feet and 51-feet, whereas 41-feet is the normal height limit in the zone. A variance for the height limit may not be required, however, since that figure represents a “pop-up” unit that is not indicative of the actual height of the building. It is expected that the height issue will be hashed out when the project is formally presented to the board, with testimony from its engineer.

Access to the property will also change, resulting in the restoration of on-street parking.

“As it stands now, on the north end of the property, there is a strip of curb cut that almost extends the length of the property,” said Hanrahan. “The units are located north and south, so the entrance will be located off Ocean Terrace – that’s where our drive aisle is.”

The drive-aisle is proposed to split the buildings with a 24-foot gap, enough for two vehicles to maneuver.

The Four Winds Motel and three adjacent buildings which are planned for demolition. (Credit: Google Earth)

“We do meet the needs for the two-way traffic we will have in this location,” Hanrahan said, adding that a variance may be required for a 39-foot curb cut where a 25.6-foot cut is normally allowed.

The buildings will be designed similarly to several other multifamily properties in Seaside Heights that have been proposed for redevelopment.

“It’s really just a coastal palate of materials,” said Hanrahan. “We’re going to do a brick-veneered base and a composite cedar shake with Azek details. I think it identifies the coastal luxury the town is looking for, and it will do well in this area.”

Attorney Matthew Heagan said he expects to publish formal notices shortly. The matter may come back to the board for a formal hearing and a vote on approval June 24, when the board will hold its regular meeting.