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New concept renderings revealed for redevelopment of Gillian’s Wonderland Pier
A Jersey shore developer is breathing life into an iconic part of the Ocean City boardwalk. After Gillian’s Wonderland Pier closed last month, after nearly a century in business, new renderings of a planned hotel to be built at the site have been revealed.
OCEAN CITY, N.J. - A Jersey shore developer is breathing life into an iconic part of the Ocean City boardwalk. After Gillian’s Wonderland Pier closed last month, after nearly a century in business, new renderings of a planned hotel to be built at the site have been revealed.
Chairman and CEO Eustace Mita of Icona and Mahalo Resorts said he’s proposing a $135 to $150 million hotel with retail at the former Wonderland site.
Mita said the hotel will be called "Icona in Wonderland" and includes plans to repair, preserve and enhance the iconic Ferris wheel and near 100-year-old carousel giving visitors the opportunity to ride the attractions for years to come.
"We are going to have 10 to 13 retail stores that will be boardwalk facing. The hotel will sit back from there, and then on the north side you’ll see the iconic Ferris wheel, so you’ll be able to see that up and down the boardwalk, which we believe will be great for the boardwalk merchants," said Mita. "People can bring their kids and grandkids and say, hey I was on that carousel, I was on that Ferris wheel. They can get on them, they can take pictures and again I think we would preserve and enhance what was already there and improve everything on a go forward basis."
The hotel will have a seashore design suitable for Ocean City and stand about eight stories high with 252 rooms, according to Mita, who pointed out other hotels are taller in Ocean City.
"I like the Wonderland and the amusements on the boardwalk but he’s a businessman, a successful businessman, and he has the right to do whatever he wants to do," said resident Jack Hickey.
Gillian's Wonderland Pier prepares for one last weekend as the landmark gets ready to close
It's hard to say goodbye, but many people will be in Ocean City to say goodbye to Gillian's, as the last day of operations for the nearly 100-year-old landmark approaches.
The project is still in the proposal phase and next steps include going to City Council, working with zoning and planning, getting support from the DEP and building permits from Ocean City.
"Get everything in place by first half of next year," said Mita. "We would love to be driving piles by this time next year."
This week, Mita also met with the Ocean City Boardwalk Merchants Association. President Wes Kazmarck said the association meets again in two weeks to vote on whether to endorse the project.
"It’s always going to get a little bit more than just a business transaction when it comes to this place because a lot of people cared about Wonderland," said Kazmarck. "It’s just a lot to take in and a lot for people to absorb. This place has been here for over 100 years so it’s a big change."
As a lifelong Ocean City resident, Mita raised his children and grandchildren on the boardwalk and said he understands the emotions tied to the property.
"Not having liquor and making this big of an investment, you know $135 – to - $150 million there’s probably not a hotel in Philadelphia we couldn’t buy for that, but it doesn’t have the same meaning," said Mita. "It cost about 30 percent more to build that old seashore style, but we said that’s what Ocean City deserves. That’s what we’re going to do."