WILDWOOD – A planned bar and restaurant with a pool, other commercial spaces, and a J-1 student housing complex would occupy a block of Pacific Avenue, between Schellenger and Lincoln avenues; however, an unexpected CAFRA permit problem is delaying demolition.
The former homes of the Fairview Café, 2nd Street Annie’s and M.T. Bottles were to be demolished in favor of a 74-unit housing complex, marketed to foreign students in Wildwood for the summer to work on a J-1 Visa, but the developer didn’t anticipate a need for Coastal Area Facility Review Act (CAFRA) permits.
The planned complex would occupy three floors, above a new bar and restaurant with a pool, and other commercial space, Wildwood Mayor Peter Byron said.
BG Capital is developing the project, which was designated an “area in need of redevelopment” by the Wildwood Board of Commissioners Feb. 24.
The Philadelphia developer currently has three projects in Wildwood, including redeveloping a full-square block that the St. Ann Rectory and school occupied, along with another smaller residential project, Byron said. The St. Ann project, titled “100 E. Magnolia” by the developer, will also be delayed because of the CAFRA issue (see nearby story).
A representative from BG Capital declined to be interviewed by the Herald.
The mayor has been happy with the developer, not only because of their willingness to invest in the city, but because he said the projects’ style and features have set the bar for other developers.
“The word is out now. Developers are calling. They want to jump on the bandwagon, too. It’s great, the vibe’s fantastic,” said Byron.
Construction could be delayed six to nine months, by Byron’s estimation, even if permits are eventually issued.
“The city, the attorneys for the developer, nobody felt that we would need CAFRA for these projects, and now it seems like CAFRA is rethinking their stand,” Byron said. “That’s one of the questions we’re asking the state. Why did you approve these new projects and then a year later say that you made a mistake? It must have been something you deduced when you made that initial determination, so we’re trying to find out what’s going on.”
A spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the agency that issues CAFRA permits, said he was looking into why CAFRA permits were being required for these projects, but did not respond with an answer before publication.
