Boardwalk Alcohol Gets First Nod in Wildwood

WILDWOOD — Boardwalk beer? Tequila tramcar? Wooden Way martini? Could those become popular oceanfront drinks here?
At its March 10 meeting, Wildwood Commission introduced an ordinance to allow liquor sales on the city’s world-famous Boardwalk.
Commissioners unanimously approved the measure changing the city’s Land Development Ordinance on first reading with only one small hiccup. Commissioner Al Brannen had a problem with the original language of the ordinance regarding hours of operation.
“Sale of alcoholic beverages shall only be permitted between the hours of 8 a.m. and 12:00 midnight,” was the particular language he questioned. The change would affect the city’s Boardwalk Amusement and Pier zoning districts.
“I don’t think anybody needs a beer on the boardwalk at 8 o’clock in the morning,” Brannen said.
Mayor Gary DeMarzo and Commissioner Edward Harshaw agreed with Brannen noting that they wanted the time to be consistent with hours in neighboring North Wildwood. Wildwood Crest is a dry town, thus no alcoholic beverages can be sold.
“This particular ordinance is going to allow us to compete with North Wildwood,” DeMarzo said.
That city currently allows alcohol sales on its Boardwalk piers, with the Ocean Oasis Waterpark and Beach Club and operating a liquor license at the Morey’s Surfside Amusement Pier at 25th Avenue. In addition, new this coming season on the same pier will be Joe’s Fish Co., serving beer, wine and the restaurant’s signature drink, the Margarita.
The governing body changed the hours of operation to 10 a.m. to midnight after learning that matched North Wildwood.
“I feel a little better with that. I was just bothered with that 8 o’clock in the morning,” Brannen said. “My philosophy is that anybody that’s on the boardwalk that needs a beer at 8 o’clock in the morning, they’re trouble,” he added.
“It’s no problem at all,” said Clark Doran, an executive with the Morey’s Piers organization, regarding the commissioners’ time change in the ordinance.
Doran told the Herald that the company had a liquor license available to transfer to Jumbo’s Boardwalk Grille and Eatery at Schellenger Avenue and Mariner’s Landing Pier if the city were to approve this measure.
He noted that while the ordinance was modeled after the one in North Wildwood, it was actually more restrictive.
While Ocean Oasis in North Wildwood has several “bar” areas, Wildwood’s measure would only allow table service.
“Service at a bar, waiting area or counter shall not be permitted,” the ordinance stated.
Doran also noted that there was a difference in the signage requirements.
“No exterior signs encouraging or promoting the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages shall be permitted on the premises,” the Wildwood measure stated.
Other limiting conditions in the ordinance include:
• Restaurants must be full-service and have a minimum of 100 seats.
• The number of Boardwalk liquor licenses was limited to three.
• Entertainment and the music shall be subdued background music, played low enough so as not to be audible on the Boardwalk.
• Restaurants will be required to submit a management plan to the city, which demonstrates that alcoholic beverages shall be served in a controlled, dignified and upscale manner.
“This plan shall emphasize the culture of family fun, and shall mandate strict supervision by management to assure zero tolerance of inappropriate behavior resulting from the consumption of alcoholic beverages and no carrying of alcoholic beverages outside the licensed premises,” the ordinance stated.
“Just so everybody knows, I’m not against this,” Brannen said. “I think it brings us up to where we should be. I mean we live in the dark ages.”
He said that some of his friends have said they were shocked at the idea.
“How come when you go to Florida, you go to the beach and the boardwalk have a glass of wine or a glass of beer and a sandwich?” he answered his friends.
According to City Clerk Chris Wood, the city’s Zoning/Planning Board will have to approve the ordinance before it is considered on second reading by the commissioners again. Wood said the land use board would not meet again until April 12.