Residents Concerned Seaside Heights Bathhouse, Public Deck Will Block Their Views

The proposed location of a bathhouse in Seaside Heights, with the 1515 Ocean condominium building to the right. (Credit: Google Maps)

Several residents of an oceanfront condominium building in Seaside Heights expressed objections to a plan by borough officials to rebuild a bathhouse destroyed in Superstorm Sandy with a new facility that will include a viewing deck for the public. They claim it will obstruct their view of the Atlantic Ocean and reduce their property values and lead to crowding on the boardwalk by those using restrooms or purchasing beach badges.

The borough held a hearing required by the state Department of Environmental Protection on the plan, which would see the $1.6 million building – funded through a federal grant – constructed at 1521 Ocean Terrace, where a previous bathhouse facility was located before the storm. The condominium building is located at 1515 Ocean Terrace.

“This is a new building that will provide restrooms, shower and changing facilities, and a lactation pod for public use along the boardwalk,” said Jennifer Gorini, the borough’s planning consultant on the project. “The building will also have a beach support office on the first floor and an ocean-facing open viewing area and storage area on the second floor along with a family use restroom.”

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The building will be elevated about six feet to meet the height of the boardwalk and will stand 30 feet tall – 36-feet from grade – which complies with the building height allowed in the boardwalk zone. A boardwalk extension will fill in a “gap” between an existing ramp and the proposed building, which will measure 2,360 square feet in area – a slightly smaller footprint than the previous structure. Gorini said the first floor will feature hot showers and restroom facilities, plus a small office where beach badges can be sold. A staircase and elevator will provide access to the second floor.

“Our second floor is going to have an open platform viewing area that will provide views of the beach and the ocean,” said Gorini. “It will have an elevator so anybody who is in a wheelchair or has difficulty walking on the sand will be able to come up here and have some visual public access.”

Behind the viewing platform, there will be an enclosed area that will be air conditioned and enclosed.

“If the weather is bad, this could be a nice place to escape the heat, or the cold, or the rain,” Gorini said.

The building’s architectural design was produced by the same architect who designed the nearby Carousel Pavilion.

The matter came before the borough council this week due to the manner in which the property was acquired by the town in 2001. Seaside Heights utilized Green Acres funding under the Blue Acres program, which provides for the public purchase of flood-prone properties. In order for those properties to be developed, state approval is required, part of which is a public hearing. The hearing was required in this case despite the fact that a bathhouse pre-existed before the storm, which struck in Oct. 2012.

Three residents objected to the proposal at the hearing, which was held Wednesday after a borough council meeting. The homeowners’ association at 1515 Ocean has also hired an attorney to represent their interests, which primarily focused on the potential for the bathhouse to obstruct their view of the ocean. Some of the residents represented, however, that they were displeased with the project as a whole since it could attract more people to the northern area of the boardwalk, which is more residential in nature as compared to the southern portion.

“Our largest concern is the line of site on the third floor,” said attorney Kenneth A. Porro, referring to the second-floor viewing platform. “There is no protection or right to the third level. Once a structure has been gone for over a year, unfortunately, your protected rights under the Municipal Land Use Law are not there.”

Porro said the viewing platform area presented a problem due to its “line of sight,” and indicated a desire to enter into negotiations with the borough.

Plans for the bathhouse at 1521 Ocean Terrace, Seaside Heights, NJ. (Planning Document)

Julie Warshaw, a unit owner in the 1515 building, said she filed her own objection to the project with the DEP.

“As homeowners, when we purchased these condominiums, we were told by everyone including the town representatives that nothing would ever be built there,” she said. “We feel pretty deceived by what was going on, because we all purchased these new condos that were oceanfront, and we paid a lot of money specifically for the ocean view.”

Warshaw characterized the viewing platform as “duplicative” since the borough already has a small outdoor viewing platform that is handicap-accessible at the northern tip of the boardwalk. She also raised concerns about the facility as a whole.

“The restrooms will also crowd that little area of the boardwalk and block the views,” she told council members. “There are going to be a lot more people in that area trying to get on the beach or getting in line for the bathrooms. We want people to come to Seaside Heights and make it a great place, but this is really going to cut down on the value of our homes and our views.”

Another resident said the presence of the bathhouse could attract more tour buses to the northern parking area at Hiering Avenue, whose clients sometimes do not properly dispose of refuse.

The comments from the residents, as well as objections formally filed by residents or Porro’s office, will be reviewed by the DEP as part of the approval process. An additional hearing will likely be conducted after the new year to satisfy an additional state permitting requirement.