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Ocean City Reconsiders Wonderland Pier Redevelopment as ICONA Pitches Updated Hotel Plan

The council will take a second vote on a rehabilitation designation that would trigger a planning-board redevelopment study, not an automatic hotel approval.

Overview

  • Eustace Mita of ICONA presented updated plans at a press conference and urged approval of a redevelopment designation for the shuttered boardwalk site.
  • Councilman Jody Levchuk, who voted no in August, requested the reconsideration, with the vote set for Thursday.
  • The Boardwalk Merchants Association said at least four nearby businesses will not return next summer, and at least five more are considering not opening.
  • Mita said a hotel is his only project for the property, with projected costs rising to about $170 million and a timeline of six months to break ground and 18 months to finish if approved.
  • Two other bids to buy the property remain active, including one from Phil Norcross and another from Ryan Homes, and local leaders say those buyers would pursue townhomes.