New Jersey coastal city clashes over proposal to transform amusement park into luxury hotel

Officials successful New Jersey sparked mixed reactions aft voting to pave the mode for the redevelopment of a erstwhile iconic amusement park.

Gillian's Wonderland Pier successful Ocean City was a Jersey Shore landmark that entertained families for decades. David Gillian founded Gillian's Fun Deck astir 1930. Roy Gillian began operating the concern arsenic Gillian’s Wonderland Pier successful 1965.

The parkland became known for its carousel, monorail and 144-foot Giant Wheel. It closed successful October 2024 aft years of mounting fiscal pressures, including rising inflation, security premiums and operating costs. Disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic and Superstorm Sandy besides reportedly contributed to the business’ fiscal woes.

"I tried my champion to prolong Wonderland for arsenic agelong arsenic possible, done progressively hard challenges each year," Ocean City politician and one-time Wonderland Pier proprietor Jay Gillian wrote successful a missive posted to Facebook. "It’s been my life, my bequest and my family. But it’s nary longer a viable business."

SIX FLAGS MYSTERY COASTER ALREADY DOMINATES SKYLINE, WITH MORE RECORD-BREAKING HEIGHT TO COME

Gillian Wonderland Pier delighted fans arsenic a abrogation destination for decades earlier the historical amusement parkland closed successful 2024. (Michael Bocchieri/Bocchieri Archive/Getty Images)

"It’s not going to beryllium similar it was each twelvemonth we travel down, thing is taken away," 72-year-old Pennsylvania nonmigratory KR Watkin told FOX 29 astatine the time.

"It’s surreal actually," said worker Andrew Boyland. "I can’t judge this is happening. I’m upset astir it but astatine the aforesaid clip the magnitude of radical that person travel present ever since we announced we are closing is amazing."

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

Icona Resorts proprietor Eustace Mita acquired the spot successful 2021. After the parkland closed, helium projected gathering a 252-room edifice connected the site.

The now-closed Gillian's Wonderland Pier is nether information for redevelopment. (Michael Bocchieri/Getty Images)

In a 5-2 ballot recently, Ocean City councilmembers approved rezoning the tract arsenic "in request of rehabilitation," thereby allowing the metropolis to statesman the redevelopment process.

The ballot does not o.k. operation of the edifice itself, however. The adjacent measurement successful the process involves the metropolis drafting a redevelopment program outlining improvement standards earlier holding nationalist hearings and seeking further approvals.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Some residents said they are successful favour of the hotel, arguing it volition bring much visitors to the metropolis that is location to astir 11,000 year-round residents and regularly attracts much than 100,000 tourists per time during the summer.

Others expressed interest that the improvement would change the boardwalk’s character.

Community advocacy radical Ocean City 2050 criticized the ballot successful a statement, calling the council’s determination a "strategic blunder" that results successful "a stronger manus for the developer, and a worse result for residents."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE NEWS

The Ocean City, New Jersey assembly has paved the mode for redevelopment of Gillian's Wonderland Pier, which was celebrated for decades for its 144-foot Giant Wheel. (Al Drago/Getty Images)

The radical announced it plans to articulation different groups successful filing suit against the metropolis challenging the rehabilitation designation.

"The council’s nonaccomplishment to conscionable the statutory requirements for rehabilitation, its arbitrary decision-making, its willful disregard of known fiscal conflicts and its breach of fiduciary work to the citizens it serves" are reasons the radical cited for the lawsuit.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

Ocean City 2050 said it supports a caller subcommittee study that called for "using accepted readying tools, not rehabilitation designation, to code this site."

The radical said it would enactment a redevelopment program that "enhances entertainment, respects the neighborhoods and protects our boardwalk’s iconic look and feel."