New Municipal Well Formally Proposed for Condemned Oceanfront Motel Property

The Desert Palm Motel, Seaside Park, N.J., Feb. 2023. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

A new well – plus the demolition of a condemned motel – have been formally proposed for state approval in Seaside Park.

A mandated public hearing on the matter will be held Nov. 7, 2024 in council chambers, a notice said. The new well is proposed to be constructed on a portion of the property of what has long been known as the Desert Palm Motel, which was condemned by the borough after years of code violations and police intervention in criminal activity there. The motel would be demolished.

The borough council has long sought to demolish the motel, and even settled on a contractor to do so, but the motel’s previous owner has kept litigation alive despite a string of courtroom losses. His latest quest, however, was his last resort: petitioning the New Jersey Supreme Court to vacate a decision by the Superior Court Appellate Division.

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The previous owner, Ramesh Kania, a physician from North Jersey, has been seeking to have the eminent domain taking vacated, arguing that the borough did not specify a specific public purpose for its condemnation. The borough has successfully argued, however, that the property qualified as an area in need of redevelopment based on its derelict condition and safety violations, and that a specific public purpose for the condemnation did not have to be specified in a resolution passed by the council authorizing the taking.

The Desert Palm Inn, Seaside Park, N.J., Sept. 2022. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

The Desert Palm Inn, March 21, 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)

The Desert Palm Inn, March 21, 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)

The hearing, perhaps ironically, is required because the borough plans to use a portion of the property for a public purpose pursuant to the well. The borough has also been investigating whether the property could be used in conjunction with a “green parking” grant that was previously awarded to the town.

The upcoming public hearing is required since the borough is seeking loan funds through the New Jersey Water Bank. The proposed well construction project will be completed in two phases: first, the installation of a new test well at the site, followed by the demolition of the motel and conversion of the test well into a public drinking well. There would also be a new well house and generator constructed on site, followed by the decommissioning of an existing – but failing – well located at 1616 Lake Avenue.

The specifications of the project have been published online by the borough. The test well will be a 500 gallon per minute facility, dug to a depth of approximately 500 feet. At minimum, a 24 hour pump test at 120 percent capacity, or a 72 hour pump test at 100 percent capacity will be performed to verify the well yield, and water quality testing will be performed. The scope of work will also include the drilling of the well, furnishing and installation of the casing, well screen, gravel pack, grout, seal, casing seal, steel cap and lid, permits, and all testing.

In such a scenario, it is likely the property would be subdivided in order to separate the well site from other uses. Officials have said digging a well at the Desert Palm site would save the town from having to acquire private property elsewhere in the borough.

A hearing on the matter will be held Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024 at the council chambers above the police station, located at Sixth and Central avenues.