CORRECTION: The lot at Pacific and Oak avenues sat empty for seven years. The buildings were closed then demolished in 2010.
WILDWOOD – Construction is underway on a Pacific Avenue park funded by local organizations and the Cape May County Open Space Preservation program.
Representatives of six organizations broke ground June 24 for Byrne Plaza, a designated open space that will feature an amphitheater, walkways and an expansive grassy area.
The six organizations involved in the park’s creation include the Byrne Foundation, Crest Savings Bank, Business Improvement District (BID), Cape May County freeholders, Wildwood Board of Commissioners, and Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority (GWTIDA).
The lot at Pacific and Oak avenues sat vacant since the 1970s, Mayor Ernie Troiano said. Once a bustling strip of restaurants and retailers, the block was demolished as part of urban renewal to bring new businesses. However, nothing was ever built there in 40-plus years.
“Urban renewal was the first big nail in the coffin for downtown,” Troiano said.
He expects the one-acre park to be “the kick-start of Pacific Avenue,” serving as a venue for picnics, vendor fairs, and live performances.
“For so long, everybody’s been trying to find that ignition to get this street moving, and I think this is it,” he said. “There’s this perception that Wildwood doesn’t have a safe downtown, which is bizarre. It’s safe as any community anywhere.”
The park was the last major project for the Byrne Fund for Wildwood, Inc., a nonprofit founded by insurance magnate and Wildwood native Jack Byrne.
Byrne made his wealth by investing in GEICO and then selling the insurance company to Warren Buffet, who called Byrne the “Babe Ruth of insurance.”
The Wildwood High School alumnus founded the Byrne Fund to benefit large-scale Wildwood projects like the Byrne Community Center and Doo-Wop Preservation Museum, as well as smaller projects like grants for the high school and a ramp for a local food pantry.
Before he died in 2013, Byrne wanted the fund’s final project to benefit downtown, so the Byrne Fund donated $775,000 toward development of a park at the longtime-vacant block.
The lot, which had not garnered interest from buyers in the decade it was on the real estate market, was purchased by Cape May County for $825,000 using Open Space funding, which conserves undeveloped and agricultural land. “You don’t always want a space in the downtown to be an open park area, but in this case, this is probably a great idea because it’s going to draw a lot of different venues,” Troiano said.
BID has a lease on the property, which will be managed with money from the Byrne Foundation, GWTIDA and a grant from Crest Savings.
The grant was awarded last month after BID had realized it did not have enough money to continue with plans to build the park.
BID went to Vice President Jodie DiEduardo of Crest Savings seeking a loan.
What DiEduardo and President Jay Ford came back with was not quite a loan: they gave BID a $100,000 grant.
“(The park) is a wonderful opportunity for downtown,” Ford said before the crowd of about 50 at the groundbreaking ceremony.
Byrne Plaza was designed by Philadelphia architect Richard Stokes, who also designed The Starlux Hotel, Art BOX, and Ocean Oasis Waterpark.
The bid to construct the park was awarded to L. Feriozzi Concrete Co. of Atlantic City.
Troiano said Byrne Plaza would be open “as fast as we can get it open,” expecting it to be ready by Labor Day. The amphitheater is the biggest job, he said, but the rest of the project is simple and straightforward.
At a commissioner’s meeting last year, resident Al Brannen expressed concern about designating the property as open space because it will permanently become tax exempt.
“Some people say ‘look at the ratable you lost.’ This is a taxable item which is not taxable anymore,’” Troiano said June 24. “But I look at it differently. I look at it as an opportunity to bring people downtown.”
To contact Taylor Henry, email thenry@cmcherald.com.
