Waterpark in North Wildwood

Piering into the future North Wildwood approves plan for waterpark high-rise hotel
By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Wednesday, July 18, 2007

NORTH WILDWOOD — City Council has approved a plan to turn the now-vacant Seaport Pier into a 90,000- square-foot pirate-themed indoor waterpark.
WB Resorts Development plans to invest $175 million in the project, which includes both construction of the water park on the east side of the Boardwalk between 22nd and 23rd avenues and a 16-story 425-room hotel on the west side.

Tentatively named “Captain Andy’s Indoor Waterpark Resort,” the water park could be open in 2010 if the project receives all the permits and approvals it needs.

Attorney M. James Maley, representing WB Resorts, called Tuesday’s decision by City Council the start of a partnership that will revive the dilapidated pier and bring new business activity to the area around it.

“If you’re not growing, if you’re not improving, then you’re dying,” Maley said of the need to bring new life to the pier.

He predicted the project would also deliver not only construction jobs, but 300 to 400 year-round job opportunities on the island.
Under the redevelopment agreement, the city would sell the pier to the developers for a yet undetermined price. WB Resorts already owns or has the option to buy the property across from the pier.

The plan also calls for the pier to be moved slightly to the south to align it with the hotel while also improving the view at the street ends at 22nd and 23rd avenues.

The pirate-themed water park would be enclosed in glass, visible from the Boardwalk, and built in what Maley called a “Disneyesque” fashion designed to draw visitors to the island beyond the traditional tourist season.

It would be open to hotel guests first, and then to other island visitors based on availability and the park’s capacity.

The 187-feet, 16-story hotel, meanwhile, would feature some form of condominium ownership, but all the rooms would be used as hotel rooms, Maley said.

An overhead pedestrian walkway would link the two properties. The resort would also feature three restaurants and a 600-car parking garage.

Maley said the developers plan to meet with the neighbors around the site within the next month to discuss any concerns about the effect the resort will have on the neighborhood.

He said the entrance for vehicles would be within the building’s footprint to avoid traffic backing up into city streets.

Maley said the property will also handle its own trash collection and security to reduce reliance on city services.

With the city’s approval in hand, the developer can now work on obtaining Coastal Area Facility Review Act, or CAFRA permits, along with local Planning Board approvals.

City Planner Stuart Wiser said the city currently permits buildings as tall as 90.8 feet in the Boardwalk location, so variances will be required.

Special counsel Robert Beckelman said the city has to approve the design and final site plan, and the developer is obligated to stay in constant communication with the city on the project’s status.

Beckelman said the redevelopment agreement also requires city residents to get the first crack at the resort’s jobs.

Wiser said the city’s Planning Board has also declared the west side, where the hotel will be built, as an area in need of redevelopment and an agreement on that portion of the project will be forthcoming.

WB Resorts is a limited liability company founded in 2006 by Andrew Weiner, Brian Baratz and David Baratz.

Weiner is the managing partner of Splash Zone, a water park in Wildwood. Brian Baratz is an accountant and founding partner of Baratz & Associates. David Baratz is director of operations and marketing for Splash Zone.

The project is expected to have a 2008 ground breaking with an opening planned for 2010.


To e-mail Trudi Gilfillian at The Press:TGilfillian@pressofac.com