Government

New Seaside Heights Hotel Proposed to Stand 102 Feet, Include 135 Rooms and 350 Seat Event Center

by
Daniel Nee
January 29, 2025

The rendering of a hotel proposed for Lincoln Avenue and Ocean Terrace in Seaside Heights, N.J., Oct. 2023. (Photo: Mike Loundy)

Seaside Heights may become the first Jersey Shore municipality in decades outside of Atlantic City to see the construction of a major hotel and event space, along with adjacent townhomes and amenities – all across the street from the Atlantic Ocean.

First floated in 2023, Boston-based developer William Caulder will formally propose the grand hotel to be built at the corner of Ocean Terrace and Lincoln Avenue at a planning board meeting next month. Caulder and several of his representatives traveled to New Jersey to present the idea in public for the first time earlier this week at the board’s work session, where hearings are less formal and prospective developers can discuss concerns with board members before a formal presentation and vote.

The development will include more than the 135 room hotel that has been envisioned. The 102 foot-tall story building, which will stand ten stories high, will also include a 270 seat restaurant, 30 seat bar, and a 350 seat event venue that can be used for purposes ranging from weddings to corporate conferences and civic events. A slew of amenities is included in the proposal, including a rooftop pool deck, and the total redevelopment plan for the property will include the construction of 55 condominium units.

“We’ve been working on this for two years come April,” Caulder told board members. “We’re excited to be in the final stretch … I think this is going to be an exciting project. There is definitely a need.”

Many of Seaside Heights’ small motels have been demolished after falling into disrepair and attracting troublesome guests. The vast majority will be replaced with upscale housing – a boon to the borough, but eliminating options for summertime guests. The new hotel would not only fill the seasonal niche, but would also become attractive for wedding parties and other formal events that generate a need for accommodations, its developers believe.

The new hotel would be built where the Surfside, Glendale and Dry Dock motels stood.

The Glendale Motel and Surfside Motel, Lincoln Avenue, Seaside Heights, Aug. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)

The hotel rooms will be located in the eastern portion of the building, closest to the ocean, and the 55 condominium units will be located to the west. The hotel will feature a rooftop pool and spa, space for retail, and the aforementioned restaurant which will be mated to a 30-seat hotel bar. The pool deck will be located outdoors above the enclosed parking deck.

Project Engineer Brian Murphy said the building was designed with extra attention provided to exterior aesthetics and smooth functionality given its prominent location and positioning beside other homes and businesses. A wave-like design atop the structure will double as a shield for mechanical equipment placed on the roof and ensure there is no light pollution.

“Even our loading docks are completely enclosed, our trash room is at the back of the loading dock, and everything will be out of sight and out of mind,” said Murphy. “It gives a better look to the property.”

The rendering of a hotel proposed for Lincoln Avenue and Ocean Terrace in Seaside Heights, N.J., Oct. 2023. (Photo: Mike Loundy)

The project will, ironically, add parking to the borough rather than eliminate spaces. The building’s configuration will remove four parking stalls from Ocean Terrace where a circular entrance will be added, but four stalls will be added to sides of the building. An underground garage will have two entrances and go beyond the 218 spaces required under the borough’s zoning ordinance with a total of 303 spaces, including 21 electric vehicle charging stations that will be interspersed throughout the parking area for easy access.

“If you have a guest over, you’ll have a place for them to park,” Murphy said. “We’re a little ‘overparked,’ but you certainly don’t want to be under-parked around here, so this will be a good thing for us and the town, too.”

“The lighting within the garage is totally enclosed, so there will not be spillage onto the adjacent properties,” he added.

The development group will also replace the water line along Lincoln Avenue from Ocean Terrace to the Boulevard, installing a modern main.

“We’re trying to feed the hotel and facility year-round,” said Murphy.

The rendering of a hotel proposed for Lincoln Avenue and Ocean Terrace in Seaside Heights, N.J., Oct. 2023. (Photo: Mike Loundy)

Caulder is a well-known developer based in Boston whose company, 6M Development, has been responsible for major undertakings up and down the Boston-to-Washington D.C. corridor. Notably, his company has received approval to build a five-story, 134-room boutique hotel on Boston’s north end, a major housing development on a pier at the Boston Navy Yard site, as well as the mixed-use Seville Boston Harbor complex which incorporates housing and retail uses along the city’s Meridian Street corridor.

Caulder praised the borough staff and residents for their interest in the project and help developing a plan that would satisfy the redevelopment plan for the site.

“It’s been a breath of fresh air to deal with a town like this,” he said. “Where I come from, it is very difficult to get a lot of things approved, and I thank you for your work on this.”

It is expected that the proposal, which is located within a designated redevelopment area, will be formally presented to board members and the public at the Feb. 24, 2025 meeting of the Seaside Heights planning board. If approval is granted, the project will require a state permit under New Jersey’s Coastal Areas Facilities Review Act, and will take some time to complete given its size.

“If we have everything approved, we’re roughly six to eight months from obtaining a building permit,” Caulder said, estimating an 18 month construction period. “It depends how we stage the project, but the good thing is that we have a small parking lot across the street that will take some of the pressure off,” he said.