NORTH WILDWOOD — City council here voted 5-0 July 17 to approve the Seaport Pier redevelopment agreement with WB Resorts Development and their plan to turn the 22nd Avenue pier into a 90,000-square-foot pirate-themed indoor water park.
Councilmen Joe Duncan and Walt Larcombe were not present for the vote.
After the pier was declared as an area in need of redevelopment in December 2005, no physical changes have been made and the collection of empty retail shops with battered roofs and water-damaged walls stand as quiet as a ghost town.
So for many, the morning council meeting offered the first glimpse of the developer’s $175-million project, which includes both the water park and the adjacent 16-story hotel on the west side of the boardwalk.
In addition to the 187-foot hotel and glass-encased water park, the year-round pirate-themed entertainment, tentatively named “Captain Andy’s Indoor Waterpark Resort,” consists of a six-story parking garage with 600 parking spaces for guests and three restaurants with views of the beach and boardwalk.
The entrance for vehicles would be within the footprint of the building, according to the plans, to decrease traffic buildup on the street.
The water park and the hotel will be connected by an enclosed skyway above the Boardwalk, according to the developer’s proposal.
Attorney M. James Maley, representing WB Resorts, deemed the plan “Disney-esque.” He added that the goal would be to entice both business people and families.
The water park would be open to hotel guests first and then to the general public based on availability and the park’s capacity.
Maley estimated that the project would bring not only construction jobs, but 300 to 400 year-round job opportunities to the area.
Currently the agreement between the city and the developer just deals with Seaport Pier and not the additional section of land across the boardwalk.
The city’s planning board voted 4-2 July 11 to recommend that block 291, the site between 22nd and 23rd avenues, be considered an area of redevelopment. That recommendation has yet go before city council.
WB Resorts was formed in 2006 in Delaware by Andrew Weiner, managing partner of Splash Zone Waterpark and partner of Gateway 26; Brian Baratz, founding partner in the accounting firm Baratz & Associates; and Baratz’ son Daniel, director of operations and marketing at Splash Zone.
The park could be open in 2010, if the project gets the ok with all its remaining permits, such as Coastal Area Facility Review Act permits, along with local Planning Board Approvals.
Contact Suit at: (609) 886-8600 ext. 25 or lsuit@cmcherald.com
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