High Rise Not As High

Lower approves scaled-back plan for high-rise in Diamond Beach
By RICHARD DEGENER Staff Writer, (609) 463-6711
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Tuesday, February 7, 2006
Updated: Tuesday, February 7, 2006

The proposed Grand Resort & Spa slated for a tract of land on the oceanfront in Diamond Beach is being scaled back.

Revised plans, approved by the Lower Towship Zoning Board in the past week, show a smaller and shorter building than what was approved in 2004 after a series of contentious public meetings where neighbors complained about the size of the 12-story building.

While the board praised Pennsylvania developer Eustace Mita for downsizing, after the meeting Mita said the decision was mostly driven by aesthetic considerations. Mita said the project is still costing the same amount of money, about $250 million, and will still contain 125 condominium units.

Mita described the changes as design decisions. Taking off a large cupola from the top of the building, toning down the bright colors, moving all parking to the ground floor, having the pool on the second floor with a cascading waterfall and recessing balconies are just a few of the changes. Mita said his original design has been copied throughout the resort area and he wanted to do something different.

“This building isn't trendy. It's timeless with an old seashore look. This will stand the test of time,” Mita said.

The new plans show the height being reduced from 208 feet to 158 feet, mostly by eliminating the cupola. The building still has tiers that go from three stories along the ocean, to six, nine, 11 and finally 12 stories farthest from the beach. The building is also narrower. About 18 to 20 feet are being taken away from the north side of the structure, said Vince Orlando, the project engineer.

The impervious coverage, which is the amount of ground covered with construction, is reduced from 94.6 percent to 86.2 percent. This coverage percentage is only for the ground west of the bulkhead. The percentage for the whole 30-acre site, which extends into the ocean, is much lower, but local law addresses coverage west of the bulkhead. Under a new law encacted since the project got its 2004 approvals, the limit west of the bulkhead is 80 percent, and the board granted a variance to exceed that. The revised plans show an increase in open space and landscaped areas.

“These improvements make for a better project from the project's point of view and the community's point of view,” said Frank Corrado, Mita's attorney.

The project also includes a spa, outdoor cafe, a large pool and a children's pool, boardwalks and guaranteed public access to the ocean with a 50-foot-wide strip along the water. Some of the same neighbors who opposed the original plans are still in opposition. Rochester Avenue resident Greg Boris said the building will block his views, shade out the sun and create a wind tunnel affect.

“The neighborhood will be worse off because of this,” Boris said.

Jeff and Tina Ziccardi, who live on Jefferson Avenue in neighboring Wildwood Crest, but right next to the proposed building, also complained.

“Is this conducive to a neighborhood with two-story residential?” Jeff Ziccardi asked.

While the new building will dwarf the five-story Grand Hotel, a former Holiday Inn, that it replaces, Orlando noted the Lower Township Master Plan “envisioned high rises in this area.”

Tina Ziccardi, who described herself as “a soccer mom,” challenged board members to come sit on her front porch and then “justify that building”

The board was unanimous in its approval. Board member Ernie Utsch described the reduced size as “a gift to the neighborhood.”

The project is just the first phase of what Mita and his company Achristavest, LLC, have planned. A second high rise is in the works. This project is still pending state CAFRA (Coastal Area Facility Review Act) approval. Mita hopes to begin May 1 with the first job the demolition of the old Grand Hotel. He said the entire project should take 14 months.