OCEAN CITY – Parking is going to be one of the major hurdles in the path of a luxury hotel proposed for the site of Wonderland Pier, a City Council member says.
Keith Hartzell, the council member representing the ward where Wonderland is located, said that if developer Eustace Mita succeeds in obtaining the permits needed to build the 7.5-story, 252-room hotel, he will need a lot more than the 375 parking spaces he proposes.
“If you have 252 rooms, and 375 parking spots, that’s not enough because people come down in more than one car,” Hartzell said. He said at minimum there should be two parking spaces for each room and a space for every employee at the highest-manned shift.
“There have to be 500 spots for guests, then 150 spots for employees. That’s 650 spots, minimum,” he said.
Hartzell said he is opposed to the hotel plan, which was presented to some boardwalk merchants and members of the council on Wednesday, Nov. 13.
“I said it’s too big, and there is not enough parking,” he said.
Hartzell said he understands that someone might not come in and completely refit Wonderland with rides, but he would prefer to see a small boutique hotel with family amenities on the site.
Mita acquired Gillian’s Wonderland Pier, at Sixth Street and Boardwalk, from the Gillian corporation in 2021. The hotel plan, which has not yet been reviewed by the city, calls for a 7.5-story hotel with 252 rooms that would open under the name Icona in Wonderland. The plan is expected to include saving and renovating the iconic Ferris wheel and carousel.
Mita reportedly is planning to spend as much as $1.5 million to restore the carousel and another $1 million to move and elevate the Ferris wheel. According to an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer, he proposes to move the Ferris wheel to run east to west on the north side of the property.
The moves seem to be intended to compromise with or placate those who would like to preserve the amusement pier that has been part of Ocean City for 94 years but was closed Oct. 13 after an announcement by owner Jay Gillian that the business was no longer viable.
“I couldn’t pay the bills,” Gillian was quoted as saying at a meeting held at Tabernacle Baptist Church in September.
Gillian cited various changes that negatively impacted his bottom line, including Superstorm Sandy, Covid-19 restrictions and increases in the minimum wage, which doubled his payroll from $40,000 to $80,000. He opted to sell the property to Mita to avoid defaulting on $8 million in loans. Mita reportedly paid $10 million for the property, reportedly far less than its value.
Public sentiment seems to favor saving the amusement pier; however, Mita said the city needs five or six hotels, citing the loss of 70% of the city’s hotels and no new hotels being built in the last 50 years.
Hartzell called a ward meeting for Sept. 14 to hear his constituents’ concerns, and the meeting became about the loss of Wonderland and the proposed hotel project.
The Nov. 13 meeting was an opportunity to see what Mita had in mind with regard to the hotel.
Hartzell declined to say anything about that meeting, but said but more and more people were approaching him for comment.
“I told people I’m a solid ‘No,’ but people don’t always believe that,” he said. “The truth is, I don’t like the project a little bit.”
Hartzell said some have interpreted his opposition to be all about parking, but he said that if there was enough parking for the large hotel he would support it. He said that is not the case, but the issue brings up a bigger point that he said no one picks up on.
“Mr. Mita said Ocean City will become a second homeowner town. His idea is hotels on the boardwalk will accommodate visitors,” he said.
Hartzell doesn’t think a seasonal luxury hotel is necessarily viable. He said the hotel owner will have to do everything possible to keep people there.
In addition, he said, Mita is looking for a redevelopment zone to make this project happen. Hartzell does not think this area meets the criteria for an area in need of redevelopment.
“How do you have a redevelopment zone when people were using it on the day it closed?” he asked. “I don’t think this is a redevelopment zone.”
However, he said, if the town becomes a second homeowner town, and if hotels will be needed for visitors, there will be a need for more family activities on the boardwalk, not fewer.
“Give every kid the opportunity to have a slice of pizza, some popcorn, to go to the beach, and have some rides on the boardwalk,” he said. “We still can be a destination for day trippers.”
If the town is going the way of the second homeowner, Hartzell said, the need for parking simply becomes greater. He said large box stores in shopping malls tend to be fairly empty throughout the year, but they are designed for the busiest time of the year. He said that is the approach the city has to take when considering its parking needs, including for hotels.
“We should have enough parking for who is coming there, not for fulfilling state regulations,” he said.
Hartzell called the Icona in Wonderland plans “nostalgic” and “beautiful,” but he can’t support the project.
Mita had previously proposed a hotel for a city-owned site across Sixth Street from Wonderland, but the project was opposed by the mayor and City Council. He had also proposed converting the office building at Eighth and Asbury into a hotel, and that proposal was also turned down.
Opposition to the hotel project has included speculation that Mita would seek a hotel liquor license. Mita, according to The Inquirer, told council members and boardwalk merchants “he would not seek a liquor license in the dry town, and operate basically as the Flanders Hotel does, which allows people to provide their own liquor for events like weddings.”
Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
