WILDWOOD CREST – A public hearing will be held in front of the Wildwood Crest Planning Board on a Master Plan Reexamination Report June 1.
After the hearing, the board may act on the plan or elect to continue the hearing, according to a public notice. The full report was made available to the Herald by the borough clerk’s office and can be seen at https://bit.ly/WCMasterPlanReexaminationReport.
According to the report, which was prepared by Michelle M. Taylor, president of Taylor Design Group, a Mount Laurel firm responsible for creating Avalon’s Master Plan, the land use plan for the Crest “does not require significant changes.”
Taylor referred questions about the report to Borough Administrator Constance Mahon, who did not respond to a request for comment. Mayor Don Cabrera, also a member of the Planning Board, did not respond to a request for comment for this article, either.
The report, which follows up on a 1980 Master Plan – which had its Land Use Plan replaced in 2005 – and a Reexamination Report, completed in 2012, is to “evaluate state and county policy, timely topics, and trends, which have arisen since the previous Master Plan and subsequent Reexamination Reports.”
Demographics and Housing
The 38-page proposed report provides updated information on the demographics of Crest residents and the trends in the year-round population.
According to the report, Crest residents are 10 years older than the county average. The median age of a Crest resident is 60.1 years old, versus 49.6 years old in the county and 39.9 years old in the state.
The Crest is also trending down in terms of year-round population, even though housing units are slowly trending up. Cape May County population projections predict about a 3% increase in Crest residents by 2040.
The report indicates there is a need for low-income housing, especially to support the tourism industry workforce, who often cannot afford to buy or rent in the area.
The report also states a desire to promote single-family homes and reduce multifamily dwellings, which create parking concerns and other density issues.
Climate Change, Stormwater, and Energy
Climate change and the planning needs the situation creates are touched on, though there is not a thorough plan presented on how the borough will deal with this increasing threat.
Adding pump stations, enlarging drainage pipes, elevating roadways, and other measures are mentioned in the report, but no detailed plan for how and when to incorporate these changes is presented.
The report gets more specific on the matter of back bay bulkheads, which it said will need to be raised to 8 feet above the flood elevation.
Clean energy is also covered in the document and although it says there are no large-scale opportunities for solar panels in the borough, planning for electric vehicle charging is covered throughout the report. The Ocean Wind project, which is planned for 15 miles offshore, was also mentioned.
Also in the back bay, a need for dredging in Sunset Lake and a desire for a relocation of the channel are expressed.
Hotel and Motel Zones
Regarding hotels and motels, the conversions to condos have “virtually stopped,” according to the report. However, evaluating the standards of the layout is recommended in the instances those conversions continue.
“Most of the hotel and motel sites developed in the 20th century have continuous curb cuts along streets with parking stalls which encroach into the right-of-way and directly access the street. This arrangement preserves view corridors to the beach but offers no efficient on-street parking and limits pedestrian safety and comfort on the public sidewalk,” the report reads.
Occupancy in the existing hotels is the highest since the 1960s, according to the report. In the M1-B hotel/motel region, toward the south end of the borough, it has been a struggle to retain transient accommodations.
Hotels in the M1-C zoning district, in the center of town between Ocean and Atlantic avenues, are of particular concern because they have the potential to impact a residential zone immediately across Atlantic Avenue, the report states.
According to the report, “The Planning Board recommends that the Hotel and Motel Districts should be evaluated further, building upon previous efforts to enhance and create a desirable built environment.”
The report also says restaurants should be allowed as a principal use in the hotel and motel zone, not only as an accessory.
The report states, “The ordinance should be amended to enhance visitor experiences by encouraging restaurants.”
New Jersey Avenue Business District
“Despite the objectives cited since 1980, to improve the business commercial climate, little has been accomplished to date. The New Jersey Avenue Business District is characterized by poorly maintained buildings and a hostile pedestrian environment,” the report states.
The New Jersey Avenue business district is the subject of future planning consideration. Ideas to revitalize that corridor have been presented to the public at various points in the past.
The borough still seeks to work with the county to undertake a road project that would change the layout of the wide streets and improve other aesthetics, like sidewalks, light posts, center islands, benches, etc., with hopes of attracting new businesses to the six-block stretch.
Parks and Recreation
A desire to continue the abundant recreation programs the borough offers was also included in the report, as was a desire to establish uniform signs and furnishings throughout the parks and recreation centers.
The loss of marinas was also cited as a concern. In addition, renovations to the Crest Fishing Pier, which extends nowhere near the current high-water line, are recommended.
The projects which are currently in the works to improve beach entryways and renovate the old library building were also included under a suggested capital improvements category. Planting trees and continuing to monitor parking are also objectives mentioned.
How to Participate
Interested members of the public can view the proposed report, which the Herald has made available, as noted above. Otherwise, it can be inspected and copied at Borough Hall Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The public hearing will be held June 1 at 5 p.m. inside the meeting room at Borough Hall.
To contact Shay Roddy, email sroddy@cmcherald.com.
