The Hiering Avenue parking facility, where a shower and changing facility has been proposed, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)
Seaside Heights officials have applied for a permit that would eventually allow for the construction of a multi-use bathhouse project that would be funded through a $1.6 million federal grant.
The borough filed paperwork to obtain a CAFRA (Coastal Areas Facilities Review Act) permit from the state Department of Environmental Protection to allow the project to move forward. The development would include a new building that will provide restrooms, shower and changing facilities, and a lactation pod for public use. The building will also have office and retail space on the first floor and an open viewing area, plus storage and food preparation space on the second floor.
First announced in March, the bathhouse project was once considered a long-shot to win the grant funding, however lobbying by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-4) led to its inclusion in a federal spending bill. The project would bring back a piece of the boardwalk that has been missing for several years; it would be constructed at Hiering Avenue at the northern terminus of the boardwalk. The site is currently vacant and is used as a parking lot.
“Over the past decade, Seaside Heights has bounced back with tremendous strength and unbelievable resilience from the absolute devastation wrought by Superstorm Sandy and the subsequent South End Boardwalk Fire — but one glaring ruin, the Heiring Avenue Bath House, has yet to be rebuilt,” said Smith, upon first receiving the funding.
The borough operated showers and changing rooms off the beach until Superstorm Sandy washed away an older facility. That facility sometimes drew complaints over cleanliness, but was particularly old and not built to modern standards.
The Hiering Avenue parking facility, where a shower and changing facility has been proposed, Aug. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)
The Hiering Avenue parking facility, where a shower and changing facility has been proposed, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)
“The old bath house was built in the 1920s,” said Councilman Harry Smith at the time. “The number one thing we hear about today are bathrooms and changing rooms.”
The restroom facilities are expected to resemble those found more commonly in Europe and other world cities, where an attendant would authorize access to a customer, then press a button that automatically cleans and sanitizes the facility after each use.
Smith said the project has overwhelming local support, including from the Seaside Heights Business Improvement District —which represents many businesses within the community and is a partner on the project — as well as the Seaside Heights Property Owners Association and local, county, and state officials.
“We’ve had an outcry from the public that they have nowhere to shower or to change, and at the same time we get complaints from people in town who are concerned about people changing in the streets,” Mayor Anthony Vaz said previously. “We need it. We need clean bathrooms.”
The complete permit application package can be reviewed at either the municipal clerk’s office or through the state DEP’s office in Trenton. Either a 30-day public comment period or a public hearing will be held on the application in the future. Individuals may request a public hearing on the application within 15 calendar days of Oct. 3, when the notice was first entered into the record.
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